Another Myth to Live Through
by A Lousy Author
Summary: The Cullens, an immortal family of vampires, have protected themselves by hiding from the world. That will change forever when magic enters their lives. But what seems at first to be a new opportunity may just cause a new set of troubles.
1. Beginnings

**A/N** This story is slightly AU on the Harry Potter side, in that it moves the timeline up a handfull of years to coincide with Twilight's correctly, and that the events of Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hollows do not occur, because the story takes place in sixth year.

Also, the first few chapters are heavy on the Twilight characters, but Harry Potter characters become a bigger presence in later chapters.

Note: This story can be read without a knowledge of Twilight, but it contains spoilers for the series, and at least a rudimentary knowledge of the series will be helpful.

* * *

Chapter 1: Beginnings

**Bella's Point of View**

After three years I could still hardly believe it.

It had been three years since Nessie, yes they finally convinced me to call her Nessie, had been born, and the rate at which she was growing was astounding. She looked as if she was eleven years old. The truly astounding part was how quickly she matures. She looked eleven, but acted as if she were a full grown adult. Even though her growth had slowed down a bit, this was why it was too dangerous to put her into a school and to let her socialize with children her "age." People would get suspicious far too quickly.

But that wasn't much of an issue; we planned on moving back to Denali in a few years when Nessie would be fully grown, and when her maturity wouldn't seem as far out of place. Then she, along with Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and myself could enroll in the high school there. Of course, Jacob would be coming as well. There was no way he could handle being away from Nessie for any length of time, and I imagined Nessie felt the same way.

Jacob, Edward, Nessie, and I were in the living room. Jacob was playing a game of chess with Nessie, while Edward and I talked quietly. Suddenly a large green flame appeared in the fireplace, and out stepped a large man, dressed in a long robe. He had glasses, though spectacles may have been a better term for how they looked, and a long, silvery beard.

Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice appeared at our sides a second after the man appeared. We instinctively adopted slightly aggressive poses, and Jacob positioned Nessie so he would be able to shield her should the need arise.

The man however seemed to take no notice of this. He simply dusted himself off slightly and said, "My apologies for coming uninvited, but I thought it would be best to deliver this news in person."

Before he could continue, Carlisle asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Carlisle seemed as if he recognized the name, but before I could mention it, Edward said, "And why are you here mister Dumbledore?"

"Well, today, Renesmee has turned eleven. Not literally or mentally speaking, but physically so. As with all eleven year olds of magical descent, she is entitled a place at Hogwarts School."

"Do you mean to say, that I'm a witch? I'm already a half vampire, but a witch too?" Nessie said.

"Yes Renesmee, you are a witch. As are your mother, your father, your aunts Alice and Rosalie, your uncles Jasper, Emmett, and your grandparents."

As shocked as we were by this, we allowed him to continue.

"Now normally we do not recruit Americans to Hogwarts, but we've been in communication with American schools, and they seemed hesitant to take you on. Additionally your grandfather received an invitation a few hundred years ago, so it only seemed right to invite you all to the same place as he had been. Now I'm sure you're all very confused by this, so I shall give you a moment to think."

At this, Dumbledore pulled a small lemon drop out from a pocket in his robe, popped it in his mouth, and sat down on a couch.

"Carlisle, would you care to explain this?" Rosalie asked.

Carlisle gave a small sigh, and began, "You're all familiar with my history. You know how much of a hater of all things 'unnatural' my father was. When I was eleven, I received a letter from Hogwarts telling me that I was a wizard and inviting me to attend. Knowing that my father was likely to kill me if he ever discovered this, I replied saying that it was out of the question and destroyed the letter. I hadn't thought of it again until this day."

"So, how does that account for all of us being magical?" I asked.

"Well, I have a theory or two." He said, "Perhaps when I bit you all, I transferred the fact that I was able to do magic through my venom. I assume that the ability to do magic has something to do with your genetics, and since your genetics changed when did, it isn't out of the question."

"And since you bit Edward, and he bit me I became a witch as well. And since Nessie is our daughter, she has magic blood because Edward was magical at the time, even though I wasn't." I said.

"Now, this is all just theories, but that's the most logical explanation I can think of."

"What about Alice and I?" Jasper asked.

"Well, Alice had premonitions as a human, which may have been a side effect of her being magical. I'm not honestly sure about how you got the powers. Maybe you had magical powers and never noticed?"

We all turned back to Dumbledore. Nessie spoke first, "So, you're saying that we can all do magic, because my Grandfather transferred his powers to us. If we want to go to this school, what do we need to do?"

He replied, "Well, you'd have to come to Britain, of course. We can put you up with some temporary lodgings. There's a list of materials that you will need to get of course, but I'm sure that you will be able to acquire the funds."

"And will the student body be okay with the fact that we're vampires?" Alice asked.

"I believe that it would be most prudent to wait until the opportune time to tell them. Let you get established as good students, make friends, and show everyone how trustworthy you are. That should lessen the blow hopefully. I will of course have to tell the faculty."

"You said that children enter the school at age eleven, what about the rest of us?" Edward asked, "Won't it look odd for a family to enter the school, looking like they're seventeen but having no knowledge of magic?"

"I believe that if you tried, you could all pass for sixth year students. I can arrange to have you all tutored by some of our better students. You should be able to catch up. Renesmee however, should enter as a first year. We can explain her rapid growth as a side effect to an errant spell."

"And what about Esme and myself?" Carlisle asked.

"I believe that you would make a fine addition to our Hospital Wing Carlisle, and our Muggle Studies professor has just retired, so we are looking for a replacement. I'm sure that members of the faculty would be willing to help train you both as well."

Suddenly, Jacob spoke, "What about me? There's no way I can go without seeing Nessie for nine months out of a year. I couldn't handle it."

Dumbledore laughed quietly to himself and said, "Worry not. Though you are not able to do magic, we do have a werewolf on staff who I am sure would love to meet you. Additionally, if you want to, we are going to be offering a new class that teaches of the history of different magical races. Werewolves, vampires, centaurs and the like. You'll need to, as the kids say, study up so you can teach effectively, but we will pay you a fair wage and provide you all the benefits we provide any other teacher."

Dumbledore stood up, and handed each of us a sealed envelope. "I'm sure you all have much to think about and discuss. I'll take my leave now. The envelopes have all the information you will need."

With that, he took some powder out of his pocket, threw it into the fireplace, yelled, "My office!" and disappeared in a flash of green fire.

"Well," Carlisle said, "Shall we move this in to the Dining Room?"

We moved the dining room which we kept furnished half for the show, and half for times like this and sat down.

Edward was the first to speak, "I'm not sure if this is a good idea. Nessie isn't used to being around so many humans and in such close proximity. She's still young and might not be able to handle it. Then again, any of us might not be able to handle it."

"I'll be able to handle it." Nessie replied, "Dad, you treat me like a five year old, but you said it yourself, I might as well be an adult when it comes to maturity. Doesn't that include self-control?"

"I think it's a great idea." I said, "It would give Nessie a chance to be around other people, and eventually, we could be around people that know us for what we are and accept us. This could be an opening for letting the world know that we exist, and that not all vampires are like the ones that they read about."

"Plus, how cool would it be to be able to do magic? We would be able to move stuff with our minds and such." Emmett chimed in.

Edward didn't seem swayed, but Nessie said, "Dad, please. I want to go. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun. Plus you and Mom would be there, and we'd all be learning new things."

Edward seemed willing to relent. He was such a softie when it came to Nessie. We all were honestly.

"I think we should put it down to a vote." Carlisle said, "Everyone that wants to go to Hogwarts and learn magic, raise your hand."

One by one, everyone raised their hands.

"It's decided then. The letter says that we should take a plane to London. They will send someone to meet us at the airport."

The next morning, we had everything packed and were on our way to the airport. As usual, we drew a lot of attention from people who weren't used to us being around. We boarded the plane, and settled in for a long flight. After about four hours and three time zones, we landed, and waited in the terminal for our flight to London.

The second flight was equally uneventful, but twice as long. We landed in London around four in the morning local time. As we got off the plane, a severe looking woman, dressed in a robe much like Dumbledore's, approached us.

"Hello," she greeted us, "I am Professor McGonagall. I teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts School. Professor Dumbledore sent me to help get you situated with lodgings and your school supplies. If you will follow me."

We collected our bags and followed her. She led us down a few blocks, and into a small, abandoned building. The building ended up being an old broken down house. She walked into the living room.

"This," she sad, holding out a jar of what looked like ashes, "Is floo powder. Simply throw some into a fireplace, say the location you would like to go to, and you'll be sent there."

"This must be how Dumbledore got to our house." Jasper said.

"Now, we are going to the Leaky Cauldron. From there we will go into Diagon Alley so you can purchase your supplies." I'll go first, and the rest of you will follow."

I noticed how McGonagall didn't ask us to follow, simply said that we would. She seemed very no nonsense.

We all used the floo system to go to the Leaky Cauldron. It was quite an experience. It felt like you were spinning rapidly and moving upwards at massive speed, but you never got dizzy.

McGonagall was waiting for us. She led us out of the Leaky Cauldron to the back. It was quite dark outside, the clouds above made it look as if it was going to rain at any moment. She tapped on a wall a few times with a stick. Suddenly, the wall began moving out of the way, and we saw a road with stores and buildings going down each side.

"Whoa," We all said in almost perfect unison.

Professor McGonagall led us to exchange our money for Wizarding currency, a bunch of small metal coins. She then led us to a shop called "Ollivanders."

It was very dark inside Ollivanders. There was what looked like bookcases stacked with small rectangular boxes. Suddenly, a short man appeared out of almost no where. "Oh hello, Minerva. I see you've brought some new students with you?"

"Yes I have. They're transfers from an American school, but they need new wands, they lost theirs in a very unfortunate accident."

"Ah..." the short man said. He rummaged around and picked up a small tape measure. He began measuring every inch of each of our bodies. He then began rummaging around in the boxes, until he came back with one for each of us.

He came to me first. He opened up the box and inside was a small stick. I assumed that it was a wand.

"Give it a wave." he prompted.

I picked up the wand, and waved it. Suddenly all the windows behind me exploded. I ducked quickly and tucked the wand back into the box.

"Definitely not." The short man said. He grabbed another box, and another. Each wand he gave me had a similar catastrophic effect.

Finally, on about the tenth try, I waved the wand, and a strange warming sensation went through my arm.

"Perfect." The short man said, "I'll wrap that up for you."

The same process was repeated for the rest of my family, though no one else had to try ten wands to find the right one. We paid for our wands, and then left.

We spent the rest of the day traveling around Diagon Alley purchasing various supplies: Potion ingredients, quills, ink, parchment, and more. At around two o' clock, we had finished and returned to the Leaky Cauldron.

When we finished, McGonagall said, "Well, that is all that you will need for your year of school. I have arranged your rooms with Tom, the proprietor so you can stay here until the year begins. I hope to see you all in Gryffindor this year. Goodbye."

We bade her farewell, and she disappeared with a pop.

"I have got to learn how to do that." Emmett said, "Imagine how easy it would be to pull pranks on people if you could just disappear like that."

We laughed at Emmett's comment, to which he replied "What's so funny?" which just made us laugh harder. We left the pub, and went back into Diagon Alley. We split up, and Edward and I walked down the street. We ended up going to Fortescue's a small ice cream shop. We didn't eat any, but it was fun to people watch.

On our way back to the Cauldron, we passed by a broom supplies store. I wondered why brooms were so important in the wizarding world. Surely they didn't fly like they did in the fairytales. Nothing I had known about vampires turned out to be true. Just as I was thinking that, I heard someone comment on how the Firebolt was the fastest broom ever made, and how it could fly higher than any other could.

Edward and I continued walking and were back in the Leaky Cauldron before long. I sat with Nessie and Jacob, and Edward started talking with Jasper and Emmett. Apparently there was some sort of sport played on brooms called Quidditch. Jasper had asked one of the people he met about it. They were debating whether or not to buy brooms so they could play, and finally decided to do so first thing tomorrow.

Eventually, Nessie got tired and went up to bed, and we followed suit, knowing that it would look odd to passerby if we sat around all night.


	2. Hogwarts and the Sorting Hat

Chapter 2: Hogwarts and the Sorting Hat

We spent about a week at the Leaky Cauldron. It was great being so close to Diagon Alley because it gave us a chance to learn a bit more about the wizarding world before being thrown into the thick of it at Hogwarts. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all bought broomsticks. I didn't really see a point to it as none of us had any clue how to play Quidditch, but they seemed excited enough.

Soon enough, the time came for us to leave for school. That morning, we packed our bags, and were sitting around a table in the Leaky Cauldron. We all ordered food, but Jacob ended up eating all of it. We had been sent a letter the night before saying that Professor McGonagall would meet us here in the morning to bring us to the school. We heard a loud pop, and Professor McGonagall appeared next to us.

"Good morning," she said, "The Hogwarts Express is leaving in two hours. We should be getting to the station."

"Hogwarts Express? You mean we have to ride a train to school?" Rosalie said, sounding miffed that she'd have to sit in a cramped train.

"Yes." McGonagall replied curtly, "Unless that is you don't want to attend Hogwarts after all."

Rosalie muttered to herself but remained relatively silent.

"Good, now if you'll please follow me." McGonagall said as she turned and exited the Leaky Cauldron.

We were met outside by two nondescript black cars. We opened the trunk of one, and it seemed as if the trunk took up the space of the entire car.

"Professor McGonagall," I began, "Where are we going to sit? This trunk looks as big as the car."

"It's only had an enlarging charm placed on it. The car will be quite roomy, trust me."

We finished putting our suitcases into the cars, and hopped in. The car was quite roomy once you got inside. Magic was really convenient. The ride to the train station was short, and once we arrived we loaded our suitcases onto trolleys. Well, we all did except for Carlisle, Esme, and Jacob.

"You can leave your suitcases here," McGonagall told them, "Faculty members do not usually take the train to school. The driver will bring you to a house and you can floo from there."

We said our goodbyes, and then entered the station with McGonagall. Once we were inside, she handed us our tickets.

"Your train departs from platform nine and three quarters. Simply walk through the wall between platforms nine and ten and you'll find the platform." With that, McGonagall walked away, and disappeared.

"I have to learn how to do that." Emmett said.

We walked through the station, getting stares from passerby, until we reached platforms nine and ten.

"She said that we just walk through the wall, right?" Nessie asked.

"Yes she did, the wall seems solid enough to me though." I replied.

"I guess there's no way to find out than to try it." Edward said, he walked directly at the wall, and when he reached it he disappeared.

"I guess it works." Alice said, and we followed.

On the other side of the wall, there was a large locomotive with smoke billowing out of it. It was quite a sight to see. We were surrounded by a number of people wearing robes. Parents were saying goodbye to their children, friends who hadn't seen each other over the summer were catching up, and younger students were trying to load their heavy suitcases into the train with little luck.

"Let's grab a compartment before they're all full." I said.

We quickly walked towards the train and got on board. We found an unoccupied compartment near the end, and quickly put our suitcases away. As we settled in, the door opened and two boys and a girl, all about sixteen years old entered the compartment.

One of the boys was tall, lanky, and had flaming red hair. The other was not as tall, and had glasses and unruly black hair that looked like it was impossible to control. The girl was of medium height, and had a large mass of bushy brown hair.

"Hi," said the one with the black hair, "All the other compartments are full, do you mind if we join you?" He had a heavy British accent, though that was to be expected now that we were actually in Britain.

No one objected, so I said, "Sure."

"I don't think we've met have we?" the girl said, "My name is Hermione, and these two are Harry," she indicated the one with black hair, "And Ron." Pointing towards the other.

"We haven't met; we're transferring from an American school. I'm Bella, and these are Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Renesmee. It's nice to meet you.

"It's nice to meet you as well." Hermione replied. "So what school did you all transfer from?"

I was stumped, but Alice quickly answered, "We were enrolled in the academy in Salem."

"Oh really, what's it like in Salem?"

This time Edward answered, "It's nice, but it gets quite cold in the winter. The curriculum was not exactly adequate however. The headmaster said that we would need tutoring to catch up."

"Well, if you ever need any tutoring, I'd be glad to help."

Hermione seemed quite nice, but Harry and Ron remained fairly quiet. Just as I was going to address them, the door opened again. A blond haired boy flanked by two fairly large boys stood in the doorway.

"I see the Mudblood, Weasel, and Potter found you already. I heard there were some new students and thought I'd come introduce myself. My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. Let me offer you some advice; If you want to succeed here, don't associate yourselves with the likes of these, I can help you there."

Malfoy seemed like the petty kind of thug that thought money could get you everything and that friendship could be bought. The rest of us seemed to be thinking the same thing, because Nessie replied rather sarcastically, "I think we can figure out who we should associate ourselves with on our own."

"Who do you think you are you little twerp? I think you need to be taught a lesson."

As Malfoy said this, the two thuggish kids he had entered with moved around him and started moving towards Nessie. Edward and I assumed aggressive stances, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew their wands.

"Malfoy, you're not really helping you cause of looking like the one that they should befriend by doing this." Hermione said. "Besides, you're outnumbered three to one; don't you normally prefer fights that are unfair in your favor?"

Malfoy paused for a moment before spinning on his heel. "Crabbe, Goyle, let's go." He said, and he walked out.

"Sorry about those gits." Harry said. "They look for any chance to abuse Gryffindors, and since you chose us over him, you're as bad to him as were are."

"What is all this about Gryffindor and Houses that we've been hearing about?" Emmett asked.

"You don't know about the Houses?" Hermione asked. "Well, at Hogwarts, each student is sorted into a House. There are four, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. They are each named after one of the founders of the school. Traditionally, Gryffindors are brave, Hufflepuff are loyal, Ravenclaws are intelligent, and Slytherins are cunning. After the school was founded, there was a falling out between Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin and the two houses have been rivals ever since."

"It seems pointless to be fighting over something that happened between people you don't know that lived hundreds of years ago." Nessie said.

"It's not like we hate them for being in Slytherin, we hate them for what they do to us and how they act." Ron said, speaking for the first time. "They're gits, the lot of them."

"So, what House do you guys want to be in?" Harry asked.

"I think I'd be okay with whichever House, just so long as we're all together."

"So, you're all related?"

We hadn't really planned on what our story would be; we hadn't expected to be asked about it so soon. Edward spoke first. "Yes. Though we're all foster children. Bella, Alice, and Emmett are all related by blood, as are Jasper, Rosalie, and I. Our parents just adopted Nessie a few years ago."

"What happened to your parents?" Harry asked.

"We don't know." Alice replied. All of our first memories are from when we were in the orphanage.

"I'm an orphan too." Harry said, "My parents were murdered by Voldemort when I was a baby."

It sounded like he expected us to know who Voldemort was and to make connections from there, but we were all clueless.

"Who is Voldemort?" Rose asked.

"You've never heard of him in America?"

We shook our heads.

Harry sighed, "He was an evil wizard who was gaining power sixteen years ago. He was taking control of the wizarding government, murdering those with 'impure' blood as well as all who opposed him. It was a dark time. He killed my parents, and then, he tried to kill me. But for some reason, when he went to kill me, the curse rebounded, killing him. Now people treat me like a hero, even though I never really did anything."

None of us knew what to say, so we remained silent. A kindly old woman came around pushing a trolley stocked with sweets. Harry and Ron bought a large number of them and began eating in a fashion slightly reminiscent of Jacob. Hermione looked at them and shook her head with a slightly exasperated sigh as she pulled a sandwich out of her bag.

"Do you want any?" Harry offered.

We declined, and he and Ron continued eating. Hermione grew slightly suspicious when none of us ate anything, but she didn't say anything.

The train ride continued, and we made conversation with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry seemed to be very down to earth for someone who was treated like a hero, and Hermione seemed very intelligent.

As we were talking, I remembered what that Malfoy kid had said, and asked. "What did Malfoy mean when he said 'Mudblood?'?"

Hermione answered, "It's a derogatory term for people who can do magic, but have non-magical parents, people like me. People in Slytherin, along with being cunning, are traditionally seen as 'magical purists' who think that only those with fully magical blood should be educated."

We sat in silence for a little while, and then Hermione stood up and said, "We should get changed, we're almost at school."

Each of us got changed, though Rosalie grumbled about having to wear robes because they didn't look good on her, and soon enough the train was slowing down and stopping at the station.

"Firs' years over here!" we heard a bellow from near the lake.

"I guess that means I better go over there. I'll see you later." Nessie told us, and she walked towards the large bellowing figure.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Nessie and walked up to the large figure. "Hey Hagrid, how was your summer?" Harry asked.

"It was great 'Arry. Now who are these new faces?"

Harry introduced us to Hagrid and promised that he would visit him sometime later in the week.

"That's Hagrid, he teaches Care of Magical Creatures, and he's the Groundskeeper." Harry explained.

"He's huge." I said.

"Yeah." Harry agreed, but he seemed as if he was omitting some piece of information.

We continued on to the carriages, which were pulled by large black horses.

"Those are strange looking horses. What kind are they?" Edward asked.

"You can see them too?" Harry asked.

We all nodded.

"They're called Thestrals. You can only see them if you've watched somebody die."

"Ah." Edward said.

We got into the carriage, and were pulled up towards the castle. It was a magnificent sight with its high walls and turrets. We entered though the main doors, where we were stopped by Professor McGonagall.

"Hello again. Because you are new to Hogwarts, you will need to be sorted to find out where you will be staying. If you will follow me, you will be sorted after the First Years."

We followed her, and were led through a number of corridors until we were behind a group of young children. I could smell Nessie among them, and waved at her when she turned around. She waved back, and went on talking to someone next to her.

"Please wait here while the First Years are sorted. We will call you in once they are done." McGonagall said.

We nodded, and stood obediently while she led the younger children in.

We heard Dumbledore speak through the large doors in front of us. "Welcome, welcome to yet another year at Hogwarts. Before I get ahead of myself, we must, as we always do, sort the incoming students."

At this, Professor McGonagall led the First Year students through the doors. Our acute hearing was quite useful, as we heard her speaking as if she were standing next to us.

"Please approach the stool and place the hat on your head as your name is called."

"A hat sorts us?" Jasper asked, "Doesn't that sound a bit ridiculous?"

"Well, we are in the magic world now. Anything is possible." Edward replied.

"Cullen, Renesmee." We heard McGonagall say.

There was a long silence, and suddenly we heard a voice roar, "Gryffindor."

The process continued for a while, until McGonagall called the last student, Michael Zekos.

"Now, I hate to keep you all from eating," We heard Dumbledore say, "But there is one more piece of buisness before the feast." There was a loud groan at his words.

"We have six transfers from an American school this year. They are sixth year students, and need to be sorted."

At this, the doors opened, and McGonagall beckoned us forward. As we walked in, we heard a number of gasps as people saw us for the first time, but we ignored it.

"Please approach the stool and put the hat on your head when I call your name. Cullen, Alice."

Alice walked up to the hat with dance like grace. The hat was a rather unimpressive thing that looked quite old. She placed it on her head, and after a few seconds, what looked like a seam in the hat opened and shouted "Gryffindor!"

Alice smiled and danced over to the table and sat down next to Nessie, who I saw was with Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

McGonagall continued, "Cullen, Bella."

I walked tentatively up to the hat, and placed it on my head. I sat there, awkwardly for about a minute, but nothing happened. I looked around, embarrassed. McGonagall looked quite confused, but did nothing. My eyes met Nessie's, and she spoke very quietly and quickly, so only I, along with the rest of the Cullens, could hear.

"Unshield your mind."

Confused, but following her advice I did so.

"Very interesting, I heard a voice in my head. I see now that you are able to block others from accessing your mind."

"Who are you?" I thought back.

"I am the Sorting Hat. I decide what house to place you in by reading your mind."

"In that case, please put me in Gryffindor with Nessie."

"I'm not so sure. You're loyal, that's for sure. You'd make a good Hufflepuff."

"Please." I pleaded.

"Very well... Gryffindor!" The last word was shouted through the seam in the hat.

I hurried over to the table, ignoring the stares, and sat next to Nessie and Alice. I gave Nessie a quick hug, and spoke so only she could hear, "That was nerve-racking."

Nessie laughed, and McGonagall called Edward next. He was sorted into Gryffindor, as was the rest of my family.

The students were getting restless by this point. Dumbledore stood and said, "I must delay your meal only once more." The groans at this were immense, "I would like to introduce three new members of faculty. Doctor Carlisle Cullen will be joining Madame Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. His wife, Esme will be the new professor of Muggle Studies. And the teacher for our new class, History of Magical Races, will be Professor Jacob Black." As Dumbledore said each of their names, they stood, and acknowledged the polite applause from the students.

"Now, I do need to be a Legilimens to know that I am likely to be attacked if I delay your meal any longer, so dig in."

"He's sharp, I'll give him that." Edward said, chuckling.

Suddenly, food began appearing on the plates in front of us. Harry and Ron began shoveling large helpings on to their plates; I looked at the staff table and saw Jacob doing likewise. Hermione took a more reasonably sized portion, and began speaking with us.

"I'm surprised you all were put into the Gryffindor."

"Why? I asked."

"Well, the only other family that has all been in the same house is the Weaslys. Even the Patils, who are twins, are in different houses."

"That's odd." I said.

Ron looked up, and noticed that our plates were empty. "Aren't you guys hungry?"

"No, our mother made us a very large breakfast this morning." Alice said. "I can't eat another bite."

Ron seemed confused at the idea of being so full as to not be able to eat, but let the topic drop.

"Speaking of your parents," Hermione said, "Are the two people that Dumbledore introduced your parents?"

"Yes they are. Dumbledore offered them the positions when he came to talk to us about transferring."

"He visited you personally?" Ron said through a half full mouth, "He must have really wanted you guys to come."

"He said that it would be nice for the students here to meet some people that they wouldn't normally." Edward lied, "And it's a great opportunity for us to learn about England."

The conversation continued amicably. About halfway through the feast, Edward said, "Carlisle wants us to meet him in the Entrance Hall after the meal is over." He spoke quietly and quickly so that only Nessie, myself, and our siblings could hear.

The feast ended, and Dumbledore stood again. "Thus begins another new year. Prefects, please escort your students to their dormitories."

We bade Harry, Ron, and Hermione goodbye and promised to meet them later. We walked into the Entrance Hall where Esme and Carlisle were waiting.

"Hello," Carlisle said, "How are you all holding up thirst wise?"

We all replied that we were able to control our thirst fairly easily.

"Good. I think we should set up a regular hunting rotation. Every two weeks should be sufficient. So as not to draw attention to ourselves, we shouldn't go all at once. Edward, Bella, and Nessie can go on Mondays. Jasper and Alice can go on Wednesdays, and Rosalie and Emmett can go on Fridays. Esme and I will hunt on Sundays. Dumbledore has told me that there is a forest a few miles away from here that has plenty of animals that we can feed from."

"We start hunting next week then? We did feed just before leaving America." Edward said.

"That sounds like a good plan Edward. Now I suggest you all head up to your dormitory before you get caught out late."

We bade Carlisle and Esme goodnight, and made our way up to the Gryffindor dorms, Edward leading the way because he had memorized the path by reading the minds of a few students. We stopped in front of a picture of a Fat Lady.

"Password?" She asked.

"Gumball." Edward answered.

The painting swung open like a door, and revealed a small passage. We walked down it, and emerged into a cozy room adorned in red and light by a fire. We saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron and made our way over to them.

"Hey, where did you guys all go?" Hermione asked. Harry and Ron were busying playing a game of chess to speak with us.

"Our parents wanted to talk to us for a second, so we were held up."

"Oh." She said. "Well, since you weren't here when the Prefects were giving the tour, the girl's dorms are up that staircase, and the boy's dorm up that one." She indicated two staircases next to each other.

"We'll be in the same dorm," she said to Alice, Rosalie, and me, "Because we're in the same year."

"What about Nessie?" I asked, trying not to sound protective.

"She'll be with the other first year students."

"Checkmate." Ron said. "Harry, it's hard to believe, but you've gotten rusty. I didn't think you had enough skill to get rust on."

"Ron, just because you're the best chess player this school has ever seen doesn't mean you get to insult everyone else." Their bantering continued.

A smile popped on to Alice's face suddenly. "Hey Ron, how about a game? I'm pretty good at chess myself."

"Sure, why not." Ron said.

I had to restrain my laughter. Alice's ability to predict Ron's every move would give her an obvious advantage.

They set up the board and began to play. The game was quite even at first, something Ron didn't seem used to, but he seemed to enjoy the challenge. As the game progressed, a small crowd gathered to watch. Ron normally didn't have much trouble dispatching opponents, so a game that lasted this long was a rarity.

Finally, after nearly two hours, Alice said, "Checkmate."

Ron looked at the board from three different angles, trying to find a way to escape, but he couldn't. He stood up and said. "Good game Alice."

"Yeah, that was fun. We should play again some time."

"Sure. I'll beat you next time though." Ron said.

Once the excitement of the chess king being unseated died down, people began making their ways up to bed. Rose, Alice, Nessie, and I followed Hermione when she announced that she was leaving for bed. She kindly pointed out the First Year's dormitory for Nessie, and Alice, Rose, and I hugged Nessie good night. We then continued up to the Sixth Year's dorm.

Hermione showed us our beds, got changed and into bed, and closed curtains around her four-poster.

Alice, Rose, and I did the same. After about fifteen minutes, Rosalie announced, quietly, "This is pointless. I'm going to see Emmett."

"Rose," Alice cautioned her, "It might not be the best idea to burst into the Boy's dormitory in the middle of the night. It would look a little odd."

"Why don't we just go down to the Common Room, and think at Edward. He'll hear us and they'll come down."

We walked down to the Common Room, and saw Edward, Jasper, and Emmett waiting for us.

"Well, this is a bit of a predicament." Edward commented. "We're expected to sleep every night, and we're all separated."

"Well I definitely will not go nine months without..." Rosalie began but Edward cut her off.

"Rose, I don't think any of us are happy with this, but until we can figure something else out, we'll just have to deal with it."

Rose stopped complaining, but didn't seem any happier.

"Instead, maybe we should use this time to learn a bit of magic?" Edward suggested, "I was able to 'borrow' a few first year level books from the dormitory."

We agreed that that was a good idea, and spent the night attempting simple spells. By about four in the morning, we were able to levitate small rocks in the air. We decided to call it a night, believing that to be a good start, and headed back to our dorms.


	3. Tutoring, and Lessons from Jake

Chapter 3: Tutoring, and Lessons from Jake

We 'woke up' around five thirty and were the first to enter the Common Room. The Common Room slowly filled up as the other students woke up and readied themselves for their first day of the new school year. Nessie walked into the Common Room at around seven. She immediately came over to us.

"This is going to be a painful year socially." She said.

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"I tried talking with the other kids in my year, but it's like talking to a ten year old." Nessie said, "They hardly understood anything I said, and when I broke it down into simpler words they'd understand, they didn't have anything intelligent to say."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. You're going to be expected to act like an eleven year old. Not that you should." I added quickly, seeing the look on her face.

Edward and I thought for a moment, and he said, "I'm sorry, but I think you're just going to have to grin and bear it for now Nessie."

She didn't look happy, but we were spared further argument by the approach of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hi guys," Hermione said, "Do you want to join us for breakfast?"

"I'm not really hungry," I said, "But I'll come sit with you guys."

The rest of my family followed my lead, and we went down to the Great Hall. McGonagall was walking around, handing out class schedules. She came around to us, and handed each of us a schedule. Surprisingly, a number of the spots were blank.

"Professor, why are there some many blanks on the schedule?" I asked.

"Because of your unique situation and the fact that you need tutoring, any slot that would normally be filled by an elective was left blank to provide time for you to find tutoring. Once you get up to the level of the other students, you can choose elective courses and enter them."

"Will we need to find tutors on our own, or will we be assigned them?" Edward asked.

"I'm sure you will have no problems finding a skilled tutor." McGonagall replied, with a slight smirk.

From across the table, we heard Ron exclaim, "Honestly? Our free periods don't line up at all?"

As McGonagall walked away, I heard her chuckle so softly, that only a vampire would be able to hear. Getting the hint, I turned to Hermione.

"So, when is your free period?" I asked.

"I actually have a free first thing this morning. Normally I'd be taking a class, but Harry and Ron convinced me that having free time would good and at the least would give me reading time." She said.

"That's funny, my siblings and I all have free periods first as well."

"I heard McGonagall say something about you guys needing tutors. I'd be happy to help." Hermione offered without me needing to do any prodding.

"That would be great. Where should we meet?"

"The Common Room will work. Depending on how much help you need, we might move to an empty classroom."

"We need a lot of help. Believe me; compared to the rest of the people here it will be like we've never done magic."

Harry entered the conversation at that point, "If you think you need that much help, when is your next free period after that?"

"Third, right after..." I check the schedule, "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I have mine then too. I can give you a hand too if you want."

"That would be great." I said.

'Dumbledore must really like us,' I thought, 'Arranging the schedules to let us be tutored by people we've already met.'

I read over the rest of my schedule, which ended up being identical to that of my siblings and Edward. My first, third, and fifth periods were free. Quite conveniently, Ron also had a free period during fifth period. My second period was Defense Against the Dark Arts, my fourth was Potions, and my last was History of Magical Races. So I had plenty of free time to get up to snuff and still got to see Jacob daily.

Nessie was not as lucky because she had no free periods. That was unsurprising because she was in First Year, and not expected to have any knowledge of magic already, but it meant we wouldn't see each other during the day. She had Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magical Races, and the general History course.

When breakfast ended, Harry and Ron left for their first class, and Hermione and my family headed for the Common Room.

Once we reached the Common Room, Hermione seemed to become an entirely different person. Her voice became immediately authoritative, much like a teacher's.

"Okay," she said, "How much do you already know and what do you need to catch up on?"

We were slow to speak, but Edward offered, "Well, we can levitate things, but that's about it."

Hermione seemed shocked, "Didn't they teach anything at the school in Salem?"

Edward remained our spokesperson, "Well, we didn't really attend school all that much. The Headmaster was, shall we say, hesitant to allow foster children to come to the school. He didn't trust us."

"That's horrible." Hermione said, "But there isn't much we can do about it now. I guess I'll just have to whip you all into shape."

After that we got right to work. Hermione was a great teacher, and by the end of the hour we had all made considerable progress.

"Good job," Hermione said, "You're all really fast learners. I think if we go at this rate, you'll be ready by the end of next week."

We left the Common Room, and walked towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. We met Harry and Ron on the way, and Hermione explained to them everything she had gone over with us, so they knew where to pick up from when they tutored us.

We entered the classroom, and took our seats. I sat with Edward, Alice sat with Jasper, and Emmett sat with Rosalie. Hermione, Ron, and Harry sat in front of us. There was a kind looking man at the front of the class, though the robes he wore were slightly tattered.

"Hello class," he said, "I am Professor Lupin. I believe most of you may remember me from when I taught here three years ago. Dumbledore believed, against the Ministry's wishes, that it would be best for me to educate you in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He did however want me to inform you that I am a werewolf. Dumbledore believes that in my being open about my condition it can help remove any prejudices you may have against others, thereby helping us to unite against the Dark Lord."

Edward spoke so only our family could hear. "So this is the werewolf that Dumbledore was talking about. He doesn't look much like Jake. He definitely isn't as big or as muscled."

"Yeah," I said, "We'll have to ask Jacob if he's talked to him yet."

One of the advantages of being a vampire was the fact that we could hold small conversations like this unnoticed, and so quickly that we didn't miss anything.

"Today," Lupin continued, "We will be doing a review of what you should have learned over the past five years. We'll start with a simple disarming spell, shall we? But let's have a little fun with it, and make it like a duel. First to disarm their opponent wins. To start, let's go with... Ron, you and... What's your name?" Lupin asked, looking at Emmett.

"Emmett Cullen." he replied.

"Ah yes, one of the exchange students," Lupin said, "Dumbledore told me about you. Well up you get. Now remember, disarming spells only. Now, begin."

Harry quickly pointed his wand at Emmett and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" A bolt of red light shot towards Emmett, but he side stepped it, much too quickly for a normal human, at the last second.

"Watch yourself Emmett, try and keep it within human limits." Edward said under his breath.

Emmett nodded almost imperceptibly, raised his wand and said, "Expelliarmus." Another bolt of red light, this time from Emmett's wand shot across the room. Harry dodged it easily however and fired another spell at Emmett.

Emmett, trying to maintain an illusion of being human tried to move, but was hit by the spell. His was went flying out of his hand and towards Harry.

"I see your old school didn't put much emphasis on dueling," Lupin said. "Next, why don't we have Hermione, and Parvati?"

Their duel was equally one sided, Hermione being the far better dueler. The class continued until the bell rang. None of us were given a chance to duel after Emmett. Lupin probably didn't want to embarrass us. Hermione and Ron went to their next class, while Harry and the rest of us returned to the Common Room.

Harry had us work on the rudiments of dueling, and by the time lunch came, Alice, being small and nimble, was able to manage to last five minutes against Harry.

We went down to the Great Hall and met up with Ron, Hermione, and Nessie. Nessie was enjoying her first day, though she hated the Potions Professor, Snape. It also sounded as if despite the fact that her classmates were not nearly as mature or intelligent as her, she had made a few friends.

About halfway through lunch, Ron commented, "Aren't you guys hungry? I haven't seen you eat since we've gotten here."

"He's getting suspicious. It would be best to eat something to make sure he doesn't worry too much about it." Edward said quietly.

"I guess I could do with something to eat," he said, and he picked up an apple.

I followed Edward's lead, reaching for a pear. As I did so, one of the many candles in the Great Hall glinted of the ring I was wearing on my hand.

"That's a pretty ring," Hermione commented, "Where did you get it?"

I was stuck. I didn't want to lie to one of my few new friends, but I couldn't exactly tell her that I was married to Edward. But, there was no way around it.

I thought for a moment, and said, "I'm not sure where it's from. I've had it as long as I can remember. A memento of my parents."

"Oh," she said, "It's nice that you have something that belonged to your parents. Even if you didn't know them."

I nodded in agreement. Hermione seemed incredibly smart. Scarily so. I wondered how long it would take her to figure out that there was something different about me and my family. As I thought, the lunch hour ended, and we headed to Potions.

The Potions classroom was a rather depressing place, which was unsurprising because it was located in the dungeons of the Castle. We found seats, and a few moments later, the Professor, a slim man with oily, greasy, black hair, entered.

"There will be no introductions because even those halfwits among you should know me by now. I do not care who you are, or... what," he sneered at me and my family, "You are. You will all be held to the same exacting standards. We will be making a Befuddlement Draught today. The instructions are on the board. Begin."

Edward and I looked at the board and saw the instructions. Edward went to the closet to get the supplies while I prepared the cauldron. After forty five minutes of preparation, we had a liquid that looked, smelled, gave off a vapor exactly as was described in the book.

"Step away from your cauldrons." Professor Snape announced.

He began walking around the classroom assessing each pair's potion.

"Very good mister Malfoy, this potion is perfect. Fifty points to Slytherin."

Snape continued walking, "Inadequate as usual mister Potter twenty points from Gryffindor."

Harry looked relieved at this, though I was utterly confused. Harry's potion looked exactly like Malfoy's did.

Snape eventually got to our table. "Ah, mister and miss... Cullen. Your... creation is a travesty to the fine art of potion brewing. One hundred points from Gryffindor. Each."

I was outraged. Our potion was perfect. Edward and I had followed the instructions to the letter, and the potion looked identical to Malfoy's perfect potion.

I was about to protest, but Edward whispered, "He's trying to goad us, ignore him."

The class ended, and we left the dungeon.

"What's his problem?" I asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Harry looked perplexed, "I'm not sure. Normally he's only grossly unfair to me. I don't know what problem he has with you."

Harry and Hermione left for class, and Ron took us to the Common Room. He explained to us a bit about household spells that his mother had taught him, though he didn't seem to have any of them quite mastered. He spent most of the time talking about the various adventures he, Harry, and Hermione had gotten into over the past few years. Even though Ron obviously omitted some large details, it was astounding all the things that had happened to them.

Our final free hour of the day ended, and we made our way to our last class. History of Magical Races with Professor Black.

We walked in, and Jacob was in the front of the class looking very uncomfortable in his robes. He looked uncomfortable in general. He wasn't used to being in front of a bunch of students, trying to teach a subject he knew little about.

"Hello class," he began, "My name is Jacob. You can call me that, Jake, or Professor Black, whichever you choose. Since I'm a new teacher here, I figured I'd let you ask a few questions before I started teaching."

I chuckled at how obvious it was that Jake was unaccustomed to speaking in front of a large group.

Hermione, being as curious as ever, raised her hand.

"Yes, umm..." Jake pointed at her.

"My name's Hermione Granger." Hermione offered.

"Yes, then. What's your question?

"You have a, unique, accent. Where are you from?"

Jake relaxed a bit at the easy question. "I'm from America. I was born in the La Push Reservation in Washington."

"So, you're a Native American?" another student asked.

"Yes I am," Jake replied.

A male student raised his hand and asked, "Do you play Quidditch? You have the perfect build for a beater."

"No, I don't play much Quidditch. I make a good Running Back in a football game though." At the students blank faces, Jacob added, "American non-magical sport."

The questions continued, and Jake successfully avoided having to actually teach any material. He did say that he was going to start tomorrow. I imagined that he was in for a long night at the library. When the bell rang, Edward and I hung back, telling Ron, Harry, and Hermione that we would meet them at dinner.

"Hey Jake," I said, "How was your first day of teaching?"

"Excruciating." He replied. He scowled when both Edward and I laughed. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to be teaching, I don't know any of this stuff."

"Maybe you could start by teaching common non-magic fairy tales, and then compare them to the reality?" I suggested.

"That's a good idea Bella. At least it will give me more time to learn some of this stuff." he said. "How's Nessie?" He added after a moment.

"Other than the fact that she isn't able to talk to her classmates as easily as she'd like," Edward said, "She's doing fine."

"That's good. I didn't get a chance to talk to her at all. It was horrible having her sitting right there but having to act like I didn't know her. Could you tell her to meet me in the Entrance Hall after dinner?"

We agreed, and went off to dinner. Our family had saved seats for us near Harry, Ron, and Hermione, so we sat down with them.

Hermione immediately launched into a string of questions about what we thought of the school so far, and then began explaining what she had planned to teach us over the next few weeks.

During dinner, Nessie disappeared. I assumed that she was talking with Jacob. We returned to the Common Room, and Edward and I went off into a corner of the room together.

We were chatting quietly, when suddenly, Edward said, "I was afraid that this would happen. Hermione's getting suspicious."

I was immediately concerned, "How much does she know?"

"Nothing yet, she just has an inkling that we aren't completely normal. If we want to release the information on our terms, we're going to have to do it sooner rather than later."

Edward told the rest of our family, speaking quickly and quietly so they would hear from across the room. Then we continued talking about insignificant things, until we were the only ones left in the Common Room.


	4. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

The rest of the week passed quickly. Nessie began to fit in with her classmates a bit more, though she tended to stay with us whenever she wasn't in class. We were all able to make a good amount of progress in catching up. We had Harry, Hermione, and Ron show us some things we could practice on our own, and used the long nights to practice, and thanks to that, Hermione maintained her belief that we would be proficient enough to no longer need excessive tutoring by the end of the next week.

Saturday came, and it was bright and sunny outside. This disappointed Edward, Jasper, and Emmett as they had planned to ask Harry and Ron about Quidditch, but I was content to stay inside and practice magic with Hermione, Harry, and Ron for a while. They had us working Third Year spells from breakfast until lunch.

As we returned from lunch, where as usual we had eaten nothing, Harry said, "It's really nice out. Are you guys up for some Quidditch?"

"No thank you" Edward said, "I think I would prefer to continue trying to catch up."

"You guys work too much. It's the weekend, come on let's have a bit of fun." Ron said.

"I'm not much for the outdoors." I said, "I think I'll just go up to the Common Room and read."

"And I'll join you." Edward said. He turned towards Harry and Ron, "Maybe I'll play with you another time. How about," He looked at Alice, who nodded minutely, "Tomorrow?"

Harry and Ron agreed, and Jasper and Emmett also promised to join them the next day. Hermione decided to come up to the Common Room along with us.

Edward and Alice went off into a corner to play some chess. Jasper joined them and watched. Edward and Alice hadn't been able to get used to Wizard's Chess, because most of their games took place in their minds. Thankfully Edward had thought to bring a traditional board. It drew a few odd looks when Alice flipped over her king after Edward made only one move, but no one thought much of it.

Rosalie and Emmett disappeared to an unknown location. I tried not to think of what they were doing.

Hermione and I sat on the couch and talked.

"Edward is really studious, isn't he?" She asked, "I expected him to go with Ron and Harry as soon as they asked."

"He just really wants to catch up. We all do. It's a bit awkward to be sitting in here practicing things that kids years younger than us can do without a second thought."

"I can understand that, but honestly you're all making amazing progress. I expected that it would take months for you to catch up, but I still think you'll be there by next week. It's almost as if you're all staying up late at night to practice more." Hermione laughed.

"No, but that's a good idea, we should try it." I tried to laugh naturally.

Edward walked over to us. "Hey Bella, want to go for a walk?"

I looked at Hermione, who didn't seem to mind, and agreed. We walked around the Castle, until I noticed that we were walking in circles. I was about to ask Edward why, when a door started materializing on the wall in front of us. We stepped into a cozy room that looked a lot like our house back in Forks.

Before I could ask it, Edward answered my question. "This is the Room of Requirement. It becomes whatever you need it to be. I found out about it in the minds of a few students. Apparently Harry, Ron, and Hermione organized a small group in this room last year."

"This seems quite convenient." I said. "It can become anything?"

"Well, that's the gist of what I got from reading people's minds. It seems like only a few people know about it."

"How does it work?" I asked.

"All you need to do is walk past the wall three times while thinking about what you need."

I could tell that Edward had brought me here for a reason.

"So, why did we come here?" I asked.

"I'm concerned about Hermione. From what I've seen in her mind, she is incredibly intelligent, and she will not stop searching until she finds the answer to something she doesn't know."

"But she hasn't gotten suspicious yet, has she?"

"Not yet," Edward said, "But remember? I told you that she was starting to wonder earlier this week? I'm afraid that she'll figure at least something out soon."

"So what should we do?" I asked.

"She's very open minded." Edward said, "I think the fact that she has faced prejudice because her parents aren't magical has helped with that. I think it might be best to tell her."

"We have to ask the others before we tell her anything, you know that. Why'd you only ask me?"

"Well honestly, I wanted to make sure the idea didn't sound crazy." Edward chuckled. "Besides, you know her the best out of all of us, so I thought it would be a good idea if you told her."

"I guess I can do that. But everyone needs to agree that we should do this. I think that we can trust Hermione, and the earlier we can tell people the better. But still, we don't want anyone in our family unhappy about telling her. Also, what about Harry and Ron, they seem like they're part of the package with Hermione."

"Perhaps we shouldn't tell them just yet." Edward said, "Not that I don't think they'd be accepting, I just think that if Hermione is in on our secret for a little while first, she can help us figure out the best way to tell them."

"Let's talk with everyone else after dinner? We'll need to include Jacob in this too."

Edward and I stayed in the Room of Requirement until it was time for dinner. As Edward hoped, Alice had seen his plan, and had told everyone in the family, plus Jacob, that Edward wanted to talk. Carlisle offered his office, as it was far away from the places students normally walked.

We left dinner, and followed Carlisle to his office. He opened the door, and we stepped inside.

"Okay Edward," Carlisle began, "Alice told us that you wanted to talk. What did you want to talk about?"

Edward cut directly to the point, "I believe that we should tell Hermione that we are vampires."

"Why?" Esme asked.

"Well, I've seen in her mind that she is aware there is something slightly different about us. And from what else I have seen, she is incredibly intelligent, and once she decides to find the answer to something, there is no stopping her until she finds it. She'll use her friends for help, so if she finds out, then so will all her friends. Not that I distrust her friends, but I believe that it is better if we control how the information about us gets out."

"That makes sense." Jasper said, "But do you think she'll be accepting of it?"

"From what I've seen, she has very few prejudices. She has been ridiculed because here parents are not magical, so that has probably helped in that matter. She does have a proven track record in her fair treatment and respect of Professor Lupin, who many people hate simply because he is a lycanthrope."

Alice nodded her head, "I don't see Hermione having any problem with us being vampires."

"Edward presents a good case. Does anyone have any objections?" Carlisle asked, "Seeing none, Jake do you want us to tell her about you as well?"

"It's probably better to get it all out at once. There will be fewer surprises in the future for her then. The important question is; how are we going to tell her?"

"I think it would be best if Bella told her. Bella knows her better than the rest of us do, and this news would probably be better accepted coming from a friend." Edward replied.

Everyone agreed, and I asked, "Okay, I'll tell her, but when and how?"

"It's going to be cloudy tomorrow," Alice said, "The boys are going to go play Quidditch with Harry and Ron. Maybe while they're playing and Hermione is alone you can tell her?"

"That sounds good."

It was silent for a short moment before Carlisle said, "So, how has everyone's first week of school been?"

We spent the next few hours talking about our week. It had been fairly dull. Or at least as dull as things could be when you were surrounded by magic. Carlisle, Esme, and Jake got a chuckle out of Alice's story about her chess game with Ron. Jake suggested that Alice challenge Ron formally and in public. Apparently there was a betting pool amongst the faculty as to whether Ron would ever lose.

At around ten in the evening, we returned to the Common Room. Edward and Alice went off to play more chess. Emmett and Rose disappeared again, most likely to the Room of Requirement, and Jasper decided to do some reading.

Nessie and I sat down on a couch.

"You were pretty quiet earlier. How's your week been?" I asked.

"Not very good. I can't relate to any of my classmates. I've made a few friends," She made air quotes around the word, "But I can't talk to them about anything important because they would just get confused. And then there's Jake. I have to go to class every day and see him, but I have to act like I've never met him. It's nearly impossible. You and Dad are lucky to not have to hide your relationship."

"I don't think I can help you with your classmates. They're just acting like most eleven year olds act. Maybe you should try and talk with some of the older students more. As for you and Jacob, you only need to act like you don't know him when other people are around. I bet that he could bring you for a ride somewhere, and you two could have some fun together. Why don't you go ask him about it tomorrow?"

"That's a good idea. I never thought of that. Now, unlike you I need to sleep. Good night Mom."

With that Nessie gave me a quick hug and walked up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

I decided to watch Edward and Alice playing chess. The match was confusing as usual, because only about three moves occurred on the board. Then Edward and Alice just started commenting on the moves they saw the other make without bothering to move the pieces. Alice ended up winning two out of three games.

We went up to our dormitories for a few hours, and returned downstairs at about one. Rose and Emmett had returned, so we began practicing the spells Hermione had told us to. We had all of them nearly perfect by five, when we went back to our dorms, and waited until it was a normal hour for waking up.

As Alice had promised, they skies were cloudy and overcast, though there was no sign of coming rain.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the Common Room when we decided to leave our dorms. Harry and Ron immediately approached Edward, Jasper, and Emmett and began talking about Quidditch. Alice joined the conversation, saying that she was also interested in playing.

Their conversation continued throughout breakfast, and Harry and Ron seemed oblivious to everything going on around them.

"Are they always this out of it when they talk about Quidditch?" I asked as Ron shoved his elbow into a stick of butter.

"Normally they only act like this before a game." Hermione replied, "There are a few openings on the team this year, so maybe they're just getting excited about doing scouting."

"So what do you normally do while they're playing?"

"I normally bring a book into the stands and watch. I don't enjoy flying, but watching them can be fun."

"Do you want to go for a walk instead?" I asked, "I have a few things I want to talk about with you."

"Okay. There's a nice place near the lake that Harry, Ron, and I go to a lot. We can go there."

After breakfast, we returned to the Common Room. Alice and the boys grabbed their brooms. Ron changed into a new robe, after noticing the large amount of butter on his elbow. And they went off to the Quidditch pitch. Rosalie decided to go and watch.

Hermione and I walked down to the lake, and sat down underneath a tree.

"So, you said that there was something you wanted to tell me?" She seemed concerned, as if she thought there was something wrong and wanted to try to help.

"Yes, I did. It's rather important and private, so please, don't tell anyone. Not even Harry or Ron."

Hermione seemed slightly taken aback by this request, but agreed, "It's okay, I won't tell anyone."

"Well, I know that you've noticed that there is something a bit different about my family and me. I wanted to explain that."

I quickly looked around to make sure we were completely alone.

Seeing that we were, I continued, "Everyone in my family is a vampire."

"What?" Hermione said, sounding quite surprised.

"That's why we're all so pale, and if you had noticed, we're all cold to the touch. Have you learned anything about vampires here at Hogwarts?"

"No. Though I did read in an old textbook that vampires are highly predatorial, and nomadic, rarely traveling in groups of more than two. We did learn that vampires we supposed to be pale, but there are a lot of pale people out there."

"Well, the book was right in one respect. Vampires rarely travel in groups of more than two."

"But what about your family?" Hermione asked.

"My family is very strange among vampires. The main way we are different is that we don't drink the blood of humans. We only feed of animals. We have a little joke that we are vegetarians."

"The book also confirmed all the old stories about vampires sleeping during the day, only coming out at night and being burned by the sun."

"Things rarely mimic the stories. Just think about the stories people tell about witches. As for sleeping during the day, we don't, we can't sleep at all. The sun doesn't burn us either, it makes us sparkle."

"Sparkle?" Hermione asked, slightly sarcastically, which was odd for her. It was probably her brain running on auto pilot, trying to prevent itself from being overloaded by so much information. "Sparkling in the sun doesn't seem to do all that much."

"It just helps make us the perfect predator. We're super-humanly fast and strong, we're beautiful, and we sparkle in the sun to add to the beauty. We're made to draw people in so we can kill them."

"But why don't you?" Hermione asked, curious now.

"Because we don't want to be monsters. We want to try to live like normal people. Or as normally as we possibly can. In the human world, we can't reveal what we are, but we hoped that here, we could show our true selves, and be accepted."

"I'm not sure that that will be so easy. There are many bigoted people here. I'm sure that you know that professor Lupin is a werewolf. Three years ago, he was forced to resign because he was 'a danger to the students,' even though he is completely safe."

"Obviously we're going to have to reveal ourselves slowly. The Professors already know, for obvious reasons. And I saw what Professor Snape thought of us earlier this week."

"It makes sense that he would single you out. He hates almost everything, and he hates werewolves and the like a lot more."

"Speaking of werewolves." I said, "You know Professor Black?"

"Yes? What about him?"

"He's a werewolf. But not like professor Lupin. Jake can change form at will."

"I've never heard of that before. And you called him Jake, like you're familiar with him. Are you?"

"He comes from the same place that my family and I do, Forks, Washington. The main reason he is here is Nessie."

"Nessie? Why?"

"Maybe, it would be better to start from the beginning." I said.

I proceeded to tell her the entire story, from the time I arrived in Forks, to us arriving at Hogwarts. Hermione was rather surprised to find out that we were all originally Muggles, though it explained our lack of knowledge about magic. She was also particularly interested in the concept of imprinting, and the special abilities that Edward, Nessie, Jasper, Alice, and I had. As Edward had expected, she was very accepting of the fact that we were vampires, and didn't even ask for any sort of proof.

I was glad that I had been the one to tell her. It was nice getting to know Hermione, and after telling her, I felt like I had known her for years.

As we walked back to the Castle, she said. "Just to get things straight, your family is hundreds of years old, Edward can read minds, even though she looks like she is eleven, Nessie is only three, and you and Edward are actually married? I must admit Bella, even in the magical world, this is hard to handle."

"Imagine me trying to grasp all of this without knowing about the existence of magic." I replied.

We both laughed as we entered the Castle.

"Oh, Hermione, one last thing."

"Yes?"

"We were hoping if you could help us explain all of this to Harry and Ron when we decide to tell them. We want to start small, and it would probably be best if you were there to help explain."

"Sure, that's no problem."

We made our way back to the Common Room. Things were going to be interesting now that we had begun letting people in on our secret.


	5. New Friends and Rides from Werewolves

**A/N: **I apologize for the length of time it has been since I've updated, I've been busy with finals and such. School is done now, so I should be writing more. Also, despite my saying that this story was from Bella's point of view, I've decided to throw in some chapters from Nessie's point of view. If you want to leave a review or send me a message telling me whether you prefer the story Nessie's or Bella's point of view, that would be great.

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Chapter 5: New Friends and Rides from Werewolves

**Renesmee's point of view**

It was early on Monday morning, and I was walking down to breakfast with Mom, Dad, Alice, Jasper, and Hermione. Rosalie and Emmett had stayed in the Common Room, and Harry and Ron were doing last minute work that they had neglected to do over the weekend. I sat down at the table, but didn't bother filling a plate. From what Nahuel had said, there would some random foods that I would like, but I didn't really feel like trying anything at the moment. Mom, Dad, and Hermione were talking together most of the meal, so I sat in silence. Dad began chuckling lightly and looked up the staff table at one point, but I paid it no mind.

I was glad that the rest of my family seemed to be enjoying Hogwarts, but to me, school was painful. After one week, I hadn't managed to make any friends, or even to get to anyone very well, except for Hermione. The worst part was dealing with Jacob. I got to see him every day in class which was nice, but I couldn't really talk to him, unless there wasn't anyone around. I knew that Dumbeldore knew about imprinting, and that Mom had explained the concept to Hermione, but I was fairly sure that none of the other students or staff knew. I'd remember to ask Dad later to see if he could let me know. I would have asked at that moment, but I didn't want Jake to hear me asking, because he might think I was embarrassed about it, which wasn't the case.

I was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures class today. I liked Hagrid because he seemed to always be in a good mood, and he really enjoyed working with animals. He'd told us that he had seen a unicorn in the Forbidden Forest a few days ago, and he was going to see if he could get it to come out so we could see it. Normally, lessons on unicorns were reserved for older students, but Hagrid had decided to make an exception because seeing one in the forest was so rare.

The bell rang, I said goodbye to my family and Hermione, and began making my way out of the castle and towards Hagrid's hut. As I was walking, I heard someone walking up behind me and turned around. She looked as if she was a first year. She was about an inch and a half taller than me, and had plain brown hair. I knew she was in Gryffindor by the color of her scarf.

I began to turn around, and continue towards the hut, but stopped when she said, "Hi." She said it so quietly, that I could barely hear her, even with my stronger than normal hearing.

"Hi," I replied, keeping the surprise out of my voice.

Most of the younger students had stopped talking to me after a few days because I never seemed interested in the conversations, and they rarely understood what I was saying. The older students didn't want to talk to me either, because most of them thought theywere too good to be talking to a first year.

She seemed to gain a little confidence at my response, "My name is Catie Pierce."

I couldn't remember meeting her before, so I assumed I hadn't. "I'm Nessie Cullen, nice to meet you."

"I'm going to Care of Magical Creatures. Is that where you are going?" she asked.

I nodded my head, and we began walking to Hagrid's hut in silence. When we arrived, there was already a small crowd of students gathered. As we Catie and I joined the crowd, Hagrid came out of his hut.

"Mornin' class." he said, and we chanted a greeting back to him. "I got a treat for you today. I was able to get a friend o' mine to give me something to make the unicorn come here this mornin'."

Hagrid walked about fifty feet from his hut, and we followed him. Once he was far enough away, he stopped, placed something that I couldn't see clearly on the ground, and waved his old umbrella at it. The object seemed to shimmer for a moment, and then returned to normal.

"Wait just a momen' now." Hagrid said, "It should show up soon."

We didn't need to wait long, because after about forty five seconds a large, pure white horse came walking slowly out of the forest.

"Now make sure yeh stay quiet." Hagrid said in as close to a whisper as he could, "Unicorns don't like loud noises. I reckon that if you were slow, and quiet, she'll let the girls pet her."

Most of the girls in the class seemed ready to make a mad dash at the unicorn, and the boys seemed mostly indifferent. Hagrid called the girls out one by one to pet the unicorn and then decided to see if the unicorn would let the boys pet her, which she did. After that, Hagrid explained a little bit about the properties of unicorn blood, and said we could have the rest of the period to relax.

I sat down on the grass a little bit away from the rest of the class. They all seemed to think that getting to pet a unicorn was the greatest moment of their lives, but I didn't see what was so great about it. To my surprise, after a few minutes, Catie sat down next to me.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," Catie replied quietly.

I figured that I might as well talk to her, even if I wasn't interested in the conversation, it was something to do.

"What did you think of the unicorn?" I asked.

"It was an intriguing lesson, I never knew that unicorn blood could do all those things? I can't see how anyone could bring themself to kill one though."

"Yeah," I agreed, "Plus, from what Professor Hagrid said, it seems like it wouldn't be worth it."

"I heard that you and your family are from America." Catie began. I nodded. "What's it like there?"

"It's actually pretty similar to here. The biggest differences are the accents and the sense of humor."

Catie gave a small laugh at my joke, "What's it like being so far from home?"

"It's not bad, my entire family is here, so I'm not homesick. It feels a lot like an extended vacation to be honest."

Catie's voice grew quieter again, "Why did you come over here to sit? Why not sit with the others?" She seemed embarrassed to be asking the question.

"Honestly, I haven't been able to make many friends."

"Neither have I." She said, sounding depressed.

"Maybe it's because you're so quiet?" I offered, trying not to make it sound as if I were criticizing her, "If you tried talking to them, I'm sure they'd like you."

She didn't deny that she was shy. Instead, she asked,"Why don't you try that yourself?"

"I did, but I don't really relate well to people my age. Most of my friends are older. Why are you so quiet?" I added.

"I live in a small village. There are only about two thousand people in it, and my family is the only magical one. My parents aren't very good at talking to Muggles, so I didn't have a chance to make any friends. I guess I just never really learned how to be social."

This reminded me that I had never seen her before today. "You're a first year Gryffindor right, doesn't that mean we're in the same dorm? Why haven't I seen you before today?"

"Oh," she said, "I always go to bed early. I find it hard to read in the Common Room because it is so loud, so I go to the dorms to read. I close the curtains on my four-poster before anyone comes up, that way I'm not bothered. Because I go to sleep so early, I also wake up pretty early."

Thinking back on it, I remembered an extra bed in the dormitory, but the curtains were always drawn around it and I had just thought that it was an extra. I couldn't really think of a response, so we remained in a comfortable silence for the last few minutes of class. The bell rang, and Catie and I began walking towards Potions. We were silent for the whole trip. I was glad that Catie didn't seem to feel the need to chatter incessantly like most of my classmates, it was nice to just walk in relative silence for once.

Once we arrived in the dungeon, I took my seat next to my partner, Billy Easton. He had orange hair, and was a short, even for eleven years old, and seemed to be hyperactive. The upside to this was that it could be entertaining to watch him as he tried to restrain himself from bouncing of the walls. The downside was that it gave Snape an excuse to yell at us, mostly me. I wasn't sure why Snape seemed to dislike me as much as he did, but he hated me with a passion. I had asked Dad, and he said that Snape simply hated all Gryffindors, but Snape didn't treat anyone nearly as poorly as he treated me.

Snape swept into the classroom and said, "Today you will make an engorging potion. For those of you without the brain power to figure out what it will do, it will make the hands and feet of the consumer grow larger. The instructions are on the board," he waved his wand, and the instructions began appearing, "Begin."

Billy went to get the ingredients that we needed out of the supply closet while I began preparing the cauldron. We finished with about ten minutes left in class and began cleaning up. Snape began walking around the room, making sure that everyone's potions looked as they should.

He reached us, "I see that you are not completely inept Easton, I have no doubt that Miss Cullen," He sneered my name, "Was of little help. You get an O for today, Miss Cullen gets an A."

I was angry that he gave me a lower grade than my partner for no reason, but was relieved that he hadn't failed me. Dad had told me to ignore it if he did something like this, because he was just trying to provoke me. It seemed as if Dad had known more than he told me. I decided to ask Dad when I saw him in the Common Room.

Snape assigned us a six inch long essay on the possible uses of an engorging potion, and then the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

As I left the dungeon, Catie walked up beside me, "I don't know why Professor Snape gave you a lower grade. I was watching you for a little bit, and you did most of the work."

"I don't know why either. From what Edward told me, Snape doesn't seem to like anyone in my family." I replied, having to remind myself to call Dad by his first name.

"Maybe you should bring it up with one of the other teachers, see if they can get anything done about it?"

"I think that would be what Snape wants. If I did that, it would be proof that he was getting to me. He hasn't given me a failing grade yet, so I think I'll try to wait it out and hope he gets bored."

We continued walking towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I changed the direction of the conversation, "So, what's it like being the only magical family in a village?"

"It's horrible to be quite honest," she said sadly, "My family might as well have been living alone in the middle of no where. I didn't have anything to do at home except read, because I couldn't have any friends. That's why I was looking forward to coming to Hogwarts so much, because I could finally make some friends. But when I got here, no one my age was interested in the same things as me, and none of the older kids wanted to talk to me."

"It's sorta the same for me." I said, "My family was also only magical family in the town we lived in, and we were foster children, so that also kept people wary around us. The school in America wouldn't let us come because they didn't trust us."

Though the circumstances in my story were fabricated, the end result was true. I was never able to go to school or make friends my age back in Forks because I grew so quickly. The only person that was near my age that I associated with was Claire, and she wasn't much for conversation because she was only about five.

"So what did you do to keep yourself entertained?"

"I read a lot, like you, and my brother has a huge CD collection, so that kept me busy as well.

"CDs..." Catie said, as if trying to recall something, "Those are the shiny discs that Muggles use to listen to music?"

"Yes," I replied, "Edward has thousands of them."

"What kind of music do you listen to?"

"I listen to Classical music mostly, Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, and others. I also listen to some rock music, but not much. I abhor rap though. Do you listen to music much?"

"Not much," Catie admitted, "And I don't really listen to anything Classical, I like some Muggle bands though, Muse, Silversun Pickups, Rush, Shaimus and some others."

I recognized the name Rush, but the others were a mystery to me. "You said that you read a lot, what kind of books did you read?"

"Mostly the classics," Catie said, "Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, et cetera."

"Same with me. My parents are really into old literature."

As I spoke, we arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts, and took our seats.

Professor Lupin had announced to us that he was a werewolf on the first day of classes, but he didn't look at all like the werewolves I knew. Then again, he didn't have the same control over his changing as Jacob and the pack. From what Professor McGonagall had said, I guess the La Push Pack were closer to Animagi than werewolves, but I didn't bother with the semantics.

Professor Lupin entered the room, "Hello class, today we will be doing a bit more work on the Expelliarmus spell. Tomorrow, we will be moving on to a new subject, so make sure that you have the spell mastered by the end of the day. It may be a simple spell, but it is effective and can save your life. Partner up and get to work."

I immediately walked over to Catie and offered to partner up, and she agreed. We spent the rest of the class launching spells at each other, and by the end of the class, we were practicing casting the spell without having to speak the incantation. Neither of us had any luck, but Professor Lupin complimented us on our attempts.

Catie and I left Defense Against the Dark Arts and made our way to Transfiguration where Professor McGonagall had us turning pieces of straw into needles. By the end of the class, I had succeeded in making my piece of straw shinier, and Catie's was sharper than before. McGonagall awarded five points to whoever caused a noticeable change to their piece of straw, and dismissed us.

As we walked towards out next class, I began mentally preparing myself for seeing Jacob. I was dying to see him, but I knew that I had to keep up the charade of not knowing him. Catie seemed to notice that I was concentrating on something, and didn't bother me. We entered class and I sat down next to Catie. Jake had said that he didn't care where we sat for class, as long as we were in the room, so I didn't have to worry about assigned seats.

Jake walked in, seeming a bit more confident than he had for his first class, and announced, "Hello class. Today, we will be beginning the section about vampires."

I was surprised, but kept my face neutral, I was sure that Jake had a plan of some sort.

"Before we open the book, can anyone tell me anything they know about vampires?"

One girl raised her hand, and Jacob called on her, "Yes Casey?"

"Aren't vampires supposed to be incredibly pale and only come out at night?"

"Correct, anyone else? Uh yes, Adam?"

"I've heard that vampires tend to stay alone, or travel in groups of two. I think it was because if the groups were larger there would be fighting over food."

"Also correct. It seems that you all know the basics. I thought that we'd do something a bit different today however. As you know, I'm from America, and the Muggles in America have a few different legends about vampires. Muggles in America have the same physical view of vampires, pale skin, can't be out in the sun, but American myth also includes something about a group called the Volturi. According to American myth, there is a large coven of vampires that live in Italy that enforce the laws of vampires. Supposedly they have done so for thousands of years."

I was shocked that Jacob would teach us about the Volturi, especially since they kill anyone who finds out about them, but then Jacob said, "Now of course, this can't possibly be true, would anyone like to hazard a guess as to why?"

I raised my hand, and Jake called on me, "Well, vampires never live in groups larger than two without a large amount of strife, how could there be a coven big enough, and powerful enough to exert its will worldwide?

"Very good. Does anyone else have any ideas? Yes Samantha?"

"Well Italy is mostly sunny, so how would they survive there?" Samantha asked.

"Also a good point."

The rest of the class was spent with people poking holes in the 'myth' of the Volturi using what they knew about vampires. Jacob's class plan had worried me for a while, but it ended up being quite funny with the things that the other students were saying about vampires. After the bell rang, and Jake announced that we had no work for that night, I told Catie to leave, and that I would catch up to her, and walked up to Jake's desk.

"Really Jake, the Volturi?" I asked him, using a tone of mock fear, "You know that they'll be coming after you now."

Jake laughed at my tone, and said "Well, Caius might, but I think I can take him. Aro would probably be too busy collecting something, and Marcus couldn't care less." I laughed, "Besides, Edward endorsed the idea, I thought it at him this morning during breakfast."

My voice became a bit softer, "I hate having to act like I don't know you."

"It's like torture." he agreed.

"I wish there was some way that we could hang out together without anybody getting suspicious."

"Yeah, it would look odd for a teacher and a first year student to be hanging around with each other. I have an idea, I'll ask Edward and Bella if you an I can go hunting, just the two of us, after their class. I'm sure they won't have a problem with it."

"That sounds like a great idea. Where should I meet you?"

"Wait in the Entrance Hall after dinner. I think you should probably get going to your next class. Edward and Bella's class will be showing up soon."

I groaned, "I don't think Professor Binns would notice if I was late."

"I don't think I've met him yet."

I began walking towards the door, "I'll explain later, see you tonight."

I looked around to make sure there was no one nearby to see, and began running at top speed to History of Magic. I got there in about thrity seconds, and sat down just as the bell rang. I tried to listen as he droned on, but I gave up about halfway through the class and settled on doodling in the margins of my notebook.

Class ended, I met up with Catie, and we began making our way to the Common Room.

"What's your family like?" Catie asked.

I took a second to think before answering, "Well, despite the fact that we're foster children, some of us are actually related. Bella, Alice, and Emmett are siblings, as are Edward, Jasper, and Rosalie. I was just adopted a few years ago."

Catie seemed surprised that I supposedly wasn't related to anyone in my family by blood, "What was it like going to live with them? Not knowing your parents or their other kids must have been rough."

I laughed lightly, "When Carlisle and Esme adopted me, so did my siblings. Jasper, Emmett, and Edward treat me like any caring brother would treat a little sister, and Bella, Alice, and Rosalie do likewise. We're as close as any family, whether we're related by blood or not. I'm incredibly lucky to have been adopted by Carlisle and Esme."

Catie seemed to ponder this for a while, and we ended up at the entrance to the Common Room, I gave the password, and we walked in. I saw Mom and Dad sitting and playing chess. The only fair games of chess Dad ever played were against either Mom or Alice, because Mom was able to prevent Dad from knowing her plans in advance, and because Alice was able to see Dad's plans just as easily as he saw her's.

I thought a question at dad, 'Dad, did Jake talk to you?' He nodded almost imperceptibly. 'Is that a yes?' Again he nodded. I thought my thanks at him, and he returned to his game.

Catie told me that she wanted to go do some reading, so I told her that I'd meet her in the Common Room before dinner. She agreed, and ran up the stairs. As she left, Alice and Jasper walked into the Common Room, and Alice was laughing almost hysterically at something.

"What's so funny Alice?" I asked.

"Professor McGonagall told us to choose our elective classes today because we've pretty much caught up to the rest of our year. They offer Divination as an elective."

I laughed with Alice for a few moments, and then sat down on the couch to watch Mom and Dad play chess. Watching them play was comical, because of the looks of surprise Dad would give when Mom made a move that he wasn't expecting. He wasn't used to being surprised, which made him get frustrated, which just made the game funnier.

"So how was your day Nessie?" Mom asked.

"It was better than I expected it to be. I finally met someone in my class that I can actually talk to."

I put my hand on her shoulder, and showed her images of my day, particularly the conversations I'd had with Catie. Mom opened her mind to Dad so that he could watch my day as well.

When I was finished, Mom said, "It's nice that you've made a friend, and I'm sure that you'll have fun with Jake tonight."

I nodded, "By the way, how is Hermione taking the news? I haven't seen her since you told her about us." I kept my voice low to make sure no one heard us.

"She's taking it well," Dad said, "She hasn't changed the way she acts towards us at all. If anything, it's made her trust us more. She told us that she would be willing to help us explain it to Harry and Ron, which we plan on doing some time in the near future. It seems that most of the people here respect Harry, so if we get him on our side, the rest of the school will follow."

I sat on the couch, watching Mom and Dad for a little while, until it was time for dinner. Catie came down the stairs from the dormitory, and we walked to the Great Hall. We sat down with my family and talked about different assignments we had. Apparently, Catie finished our six inch essay from Snape before dinner, and she gave me some ideas that I could use to write mine.

After dinner, I told Catie that I was going to the librabry to work on the essay, and that I would see her later on. After she left, I went to the Entrance Hall to wait for Jake. After a few minutes, he showed up, and we walked out the doors and on to the grounds. We walked into the Forbidden Forest just far enough to be sure that we couldn't be seen from the castle.

"Finally, no more charade." I said, as I gave Jacob a hug.

He returned the hug, saying, "I've missed being able to talk to you."

I agreed, and took his hand. I showed him images of the past few days. He laughed at Dad and Mom playing chess, and was happy that I had been able to make a friend.

When I was done, we sat against a tree and talked a bit about the past week.

After a while. Jake said, "How about we go for a ride before we go hunting?"

I was slightly confused by what he meant, but before I could ask, he had run off behind a large tree. A few moments later, he returned as a large wolf. He walked up next to me, and knelt down. Motioned with his nose towards his back. Then I realized what he had been talking about, climbed on to his back, and held on.

It felt like Jacob had exploded beneath me as he took off running at top speed through the forest. After about ten minutes, he changed course, and we exited the forest, far from Hogwarts. I began sniffing the air, and recognized the scent of deer. Jake must have smelt it as well, because he began running in that direction. As we neared the source of the scent, I jumped off Jake's back, and approached the deer on foot. Once it was in sight, I jumped on it and snapped its neck. I heard Jake do the same to a deer nearby.

I drained the deer of it's blood, and then went to find Jake. I found him finishing off his deer. I waited for a moment until he was done, and then he walked over to me and knelt down again. I climbed up on his back, and he ran back to where we had started. I climbed off of Jake's back and waited for him to go change back. Instead, he turned around, gave me a grin, and licked my face. I started laughing, and he laughed as best he could in wolf form. Then he walked behind the tree, and emerged a few moments later as a human.

He sat down against a tree with me, and said, "That was fun."

I laughed, and agreed, "We should do it more often."

"That sounds like a good idea, how about on Wednesday?"

"Sure, I'll meet you in the same place, okay?"

"It's a date." Jake said, and I laughed at my friend's choice of words.

"Just don't let Dad hear you say that, you know that he doesn't want us dating until I at least look like I'm at the age where people start dating. And I'm in in no rush to start dating either."

Jake laughed, and said, "Good night Nessie." as he wrapped me in a hug.

And with that, we returned to the castle, waiting for Wednesday to come.


	6. Divination and Revelations

**A/N: **This is a short chapter, but it would not have worked well had I included it with what I plan to be the next chapter. The next chapter should be longer, and will be from Nessie's point of view. I didn't get much response from readers on whose point of view is preferred, so I'm just going to assume that you guys like the bouncing back and forth every once in a while.

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Chapter 6: Divination and Revelations

**Bella's Point of View**

I entered the Common Room on Tuesday morning, looking forward to the day. McGonagall had asked us to choose electives last night, and told us that we'd begin school on our full schedule today. We had to take Charms, so we all had to choose two electives. Alice and I had both decided to take Divination, purely for the comedic value of the class. Edward and Jasper choose Arithmancy. Rosalie and Emmett decided on Care of Magical Creatures. I wouldn't have expected that to be Rose's first choice, but she seemed to be looking forward to it.

All of us had chosen Muggle Studies as our second elective because Esme was teaching it. Though I was also interested in learning about the way Wizards thought of non-magical people.

Nessie came over, and said that she was going to breakfast early and walked out with Catie. I was glad, though somewhat surprised that Nessie had been able to find a good friend that was in her class. Nessie was far beyond most of the fourth year students when it came to intelligence and maturity, let alone the first years.

I met up with Edward, Alice, Hermione, Harry, and Ron and we went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When I told Hermione that Alice and I had Divination first period, she began encouraging us to transfer out of the class as fast as possible. She'd had bad experiences with the teacher apparently.

Breakfast was the same as it usually was, we sat and talked while Hermione, Harry, and Ron ate. The fact that we never ate seemed to bother Harry and Ron less now. They hadn't asked about it for the past few days.

"What's the teacher for Divination like?" Alice asked.

"Professor Trelawney? She's a complete fraud," Ron replied, "She wears all sorts of weird jewelry and uses incense to look good, and all she ever does is say vague things so her 'predictions' can't be wrong. She's also predicted Harry's death at least a hundred times now."

Harry and Ron continued talking about how big a fraud Telawney was, and Hermione kept encouraging us to drop the class and to take something else, but Alice and I decided to stick with our decision.

Breakfast ended, and Harry, Ron, Alice and I made our way to the Divination classroom. It was located at the top of the North Tower of the castle, so the trip took a while. When we reached the top of the staircase there was a small crowd gathered, waiting for Professor Trelawney to let them in. As we approached, a trapdoor opened above us, and a ladder came down. The other students began climbing up it, and we followed suit.

The room was quite unlike any of the other calssrooms at Hogwarts. It was dark, and a heavy smell of perfume permeated the air. There weren't any desks either. Instead, bean bag chairs were spread around the floor. Everybody sat down in what I assumed were their regular seats, and Alice and I took the two open chairs.

Professor Trelawney was standing at the front of the room, and even after hearing Ron's description I wasn't prepared for her. She had eyeglasses as thick as a Coke bottle, and wore gigantic, gaudy earrings. Her clothes were no better, she wore a cloak covered in shining sequins.

"Ah." She said, "I see that my prediction of gaining new students this year was correct."

A few of the girls from Gryffindor whose names I didn't know seemed quite impressed by this, but no one else seemed to care much.

Professor Trelawney seemed irked by the lack of response, but continued with the class, "As you remember, we began working on reading tea leaves last class. Please meet up with your partner, and continue divining the future with your inner sight."

After making the announcement, she approached us, "Because you are the only ones without partners, you will be working together. In your book is a table of what each sign you will see in the tea leaves means. Do not fret if at first you have difficulties seeing what the leaves are saying to you. The inner eye is difficult to use, and some do not have it at all."

She handed us a bag of tea leaves, two teacups, and some water, and walked off.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione were right," I whispered to Alice, "She is a horrible fraud."

"Exactly as I expected." Alice agreed. With a mischievous look on her face, she added, "But imagine the fun I could have."

I laughed lightly, and we began preparing our tea leaves to be read. After about fifteen minutes, they were ready, and Alice and I were looking through our books trying to figure out what the leaves meant.

After nearly twenty minutes of pouring through our books Alice said, "I give up, I can't make heads or tails of your cup." She closed her eyes for a minute, "But I can say that nothing unusual is going to happen any time soon, except for Emmett considering trying out for the Quidditch team."

"I have no idea what your leaves mean either. I guess that not seeing anything is a good thing?"

We spent the next few minutes discussing the absurdity of reading tea leaves before professor Trelawney came over to us.

"And what did you see in your leaves?" She asked me.

"Neither of us saw anything, and judging by the fact that all of the results from the book are bad omens, that's a good thing, right?"

She seemed skeptical, and peered into my cup. She gave a small gasp, and a horrified look came upon her face. "Why dear, you have the Grim."

The girls who were impressed by her earlier predictions seemed horrified at this, but everyone else seemed unfazed.

Trelawney peered into Alice's cup, and said in a shocked voice, "You have the Grim as well. Never have I been so unfortunate as to see the Grim twice in one year, let alone twice in one day."

"What exactly is 'the Grim?'" Alice asked.

Professor Trelawney's voice took on a very serious tone, "The Grim is the worst omen that exists. It is an omen of imminent death."

The majority of the class remained unperturbed, and based what I had heard of Professor Trelawney, I was unconcerned as well. She spent a few more minutes saying how sorry she felt for us, and then assigned an eight inch essay on tea leaf reading.

The class ended, and Harry and Ron came over to us, laughing.

"Trelawney is getting greedy this year I guess," Ron said, "Predicting two deaths in the same class. Normally she sticks to one."

"And she went for two in the same family. That must be a new record, even for her. But don't worry about it," Harry added reassuringly, "She saw the Grim in my cup every few classes a few years back, and I'm still here."

Alice and I laughed with Harry and Ron as we made our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. We met up with Hermione, Edward, and the rest of my family along the way. Alice and I told them about our experience in Divination, and they found it hysterical that Professor Trelawney would predict the death of two people who were already, technically, dead. Though they couldn't say that around Harry and Ron.

We entered the classroom and sat down. Professor Lupin didn't look very well, but he was still in his usual good mood.

"Good morning class, today we will be working on projecting shields. These are very handy during duels, because they allow you to save some energy that you would have used by dodging. The incantation for the spell is 'Protego." Partner up, and take turns casting sheild charms while the other casts disarming spells at you."

I partnered up with Edward, and after a few minutes of practice, we were both able to conjure visible shields. Edward went first, and created a shield. I fired a disarming spell at it, and my spell dissipated against the shield. I fired a few more spells, and broke through the shield, causing Edward's wand to go flying.

Edward retrieved his wand, and I created a shield in front of myself. Edward began launching spells at it, but they kept hitting the shield, seeming to have no effect. After about fifty spells, my shield was not even visibly weakened. Professor Lupin noticed that something was amiss, and came over.

"Is there some sort of problem over here?" He asked.

"No," Edward replied, "I just can't seem to break through Bella's shield. I've sent fifty spells at it with no effect."

Lupin seemed puzzled. He looked at me and said, "May I?"

I nodded, and Lupin began firing spells at my shield, but he had about as much luck as Edward, none.

I opened my mind to Edward while Lupin was attacking my shield. _I wonder why my shield is so strong?_ I thought at him.

Edward gave a small shrug. After a few more minutes of Lupin attacking my shield, a look of comprehension seemed to come over Edward's face.

_What is it?_ I thought.

Edward gave me a look as if trying to say, 'be patient,' and asked Professor Lupin, "May I try again?"

"Go ahead. Though I don't think you'll be able to do anything. I've never seen anything like this."

Lupin stepped out of the way, and Edward fired a spell at my shield. It went through the shield, hit me, and my wand went shield didn't disappear until my wand left my hand.

Professor Lupin seemed stunned, but recovered himself and said, "Impressive work all around. Fifty points to Gryffindor for the most impressive shield spell I've ever seen, and twenty-five points to Gryffindor for breaking through said shield. Everybody continue working on your shields."

I walked over to Edward, "That was strange."

"Yes, but I think I know what was happening. Your shield spell may have been affected by your ability to shield your mind. You weren't letting anyone in to your mind, so no one could break through the shield, but when you let me in, I was able to break the shield with one spell."

I was surprised that my vampire ability would affect my magic, but Edward's theory made sense, "Let's test it." I said.

I walked away from Edward, and cast a shield spell. I opened my mind to him. _Okay, cast the spell and see if it goes through._

Edward cast the spell at me, and sure enough the spell went through the shield and hit me.

I retrieved my wand, and cast another spell. I closed my mind to Edward, and he began firing spells at me. Again, the spells hit my shield and dissipated. Edward stopped casting spells, and I walked over to him.

"Well, it looks like we've figured it out." I said, "I wonder how your power will affect your magic?"

"I'm not sure." Edward said, deep in thought, "But I would like some practice with shield charms myself. Would you mind?"

"Not at all."

We spent the rest of the class with Edward creating shields and me breaking them down. He had shown a noticeable improvement by the end of class. Professor Lupin told us that our homework was to work on our shield charms, and dismissed us. Harry and Ron were not taking Muggle Studies, so they went to spend their free period in the Common Room. This gave us Edward and I a chance to talk about what had happened with Hermione, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice. Jasper and Alice seemed particularly interested in how their powers would affect their magic. Hermione seemed more interested by the fact that vampire powers could affect magical powers.

As we were making our way to class, something occurred to me. "Hermione, you said that you were born to Muggle parents. Why are you taking Muggle Studies then?"

"I'm interested in learning about the ways that Wizards think about Muggles. It's nice to have both perspectives."

I agreed with her, and we entered the classroom. I sat down next to Edward and took out the textbook for the course. Esme was sitting behind a desk at the front of the room, and waved to us as we walked in and we waved back. The bell rang and class began. Today's lesson was about the uses of electricity, and how Muggles used it to do things without magic. The class would have been fairly boring if it weren't for all the questions that other students asked.

The class ended, and we said goodbye to Professor Cullen, she had scolded us for calling her Esme. We made our way to lunch and I sat down with Nessie.

"Hi Nessie, how has your day been?"

"It's been good," She said, "Hagrid showed us some cool animal that chases shiny objects, and Snape didn't fail me today."

I still didn't understand Snape's apparent dislike of my family, but I had decided to ignore him.

Nessie turned to the girl next to her, "Oh, Catie. This is my sister, Bella. Bella, this is Catie."

"It's nice to meet you." I said.

"Nice to meet you." Catie replied quietly.

Edward turned from the conversation he had been having with Harry, and said, "I'm Nessie's brother, Edward. Nice to meet you Catie."

Catie seemed rather reluctant to speak with Edward and I, so I told Nessie that I would speak with her later on in the day.

"Don't worry about Catie." Edward said, "From her thoughts, I can tell she's a nice, thoughtful person. She's also mature for her age, just extremely shy. Once she gets to know Nessie better, I'm sure she'll open up to us a bit more."

After Lunch, we went to Potions. Snape spent the class berating my poor potion making skills, but gave me an Acceptable as my grade for the day, so it wasn't a total loss.

After Potions we went to our first Charms class. Professor Flitwick reminded me somewhat of a garden gnome, but he was a good teacher. We spent the class working on Cheering charms. Apparently, Jasper's Cheering charms were some the most effective that Professor Flitwick had ever seen, and Jasper was awarded ten points for Gryffindor.

Jake's History of Magical Races class was fairly routine. He continued talking about vampires, and taught us about how myths about vampires had grown and evolved over the centuries. I could tell that the rest of my family was bored, but the material was new to me, so I was interested.

After class ended, Edward and I walked up to Jacob's desk.

"You seem to be settling into teaching pretty well." I said.

"Yeah, it's more fun than I expected. I'm planning on talking about vampires for another day or two, and then moving on to myths about werewolves."

I laughed, "Hopefully that will work out well."

Edward laughed at one of Jake's thoughts, "I don't think that transforming in the middle of class would help if the students started losing interest."

"Yeah. It would give them something to talk about though. Oh by the way, is it okay if I take Nessie out for a run tomorrow?"

"Just so long as you get back early enough for her to get a good night's sleep, I have no issue with it." Edward said, and I agreed.

We bade Jake goodbye, made our way to the Great Hall for dinner, and met up with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of our family. After the meal, we returned to the Common Room. Ron beat Harry in a game of chess in a record ten minutes.

"Ron, how about a game?" Edward asked.

"Sure thing mate. I won't go easy on you to let you know." Ron replied.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't."

Surprisingly, the match stayed fairly even in the beginning, but soon Edward's ability gave him the upper hand allowing him to checkmate Ron after promoting one of his pawns.

The rest of the House, which had slowly gathered to watch the match, was surprised, but Ron took the loss well, "Your family is too good at chess. Are you sure that you do other things in your spare time?"

Edward assured him that all of us did, in fact, have hobbies in addition to chess, and offered him a rematch at some other time. We then spent the rest of the night sitting on the couch in the Common Room, discussing everything that had happened that day.


	7. Trouble in the Forbidden Forest

Chapter 7: Trouble in the Forbidden Forest

**Renesmee's Point of View**

I woke up on Wednesday looking forward to the day. Hagrid had told us that he was planning a big lesson for us on Friday, and that he needed today to prepare, so we could just take a free period when we would normally have Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Lupin had told us that he wouldn't be teaching today, but that he had left instructions to the substitute to begin us on a dueling tournament.

And after classes ended, I had my run with Jake to look forward to.

I showered, got dressed, and went to the Common Room. Surprisingly, I was the first person there. A few moments later however, Mom and Dad descended the stairs that led to their dormitories.

"Hi honey, did you sleep well?" Mom asked me.

"Yeah." I said, and then I thought of something, "By the way, what do you and Dad do when you're pretending to sleep? It must be a bit boring."

"Alice, Rose, and I talk mostly. We don't need to worry about waking anyone because we have such good hearing."

"Jasper and Emmett were arguing last night and nothing I said would have stopped them," Dad said, "So I just watched some people's dreams. You can't imagine how hard it is to find someone whose dream isn't obscene."

I was surprised by my father's apparent ignorance for people's privacy, but he cut that thought off.

"I only spent enough time watching each person's dreams to make sure that their subconscious wasn't getting suspicious. It can take a while to go through the dreams of the whole house."

"Do you remember what Catie was dreaming about?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"Her dreams were similar to most of the first year's dreams. She's feeling a bit homesick."

I felt sorry for Catie, but there really wasn't anything I could do to help. Her homesickness would pass like it did for the other first years.

Mom, Dad, and I spent the next hour chatting as the Common Room slowly filled up. We were joined by Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett. Jasper and Emmett were still arguing.

"Jazz, it's no big deal, it's not like anyone would notice."

"Emmett, you trying out for a sports team of any kind would be conspicuous. And what happens when there's a game on a sunny day?"

_'Is this what they were arguing about last night?'_ I thought at Dad.

He nodded his head slightly and turned back to Emmett and Jasper.

"Really, no one would notice. If they said anything I could just claim it was magic."

"Emmett, magic can't do everything. It can't, for example make you strong enough to throw the ball all the way across the field."

"I'd tell them I invented the spell."

"Like they'd believe that." Alice snorted.

"Emmett, enough, this isn't getting anywhere. Why don't you just go ask Carlisle what he thinks?" Rosalie asked.

"Come on Rose, I thought you were supposed to be on my side?"

"I would be, but we need to be careful with what we reveal about ourselves."

Emmett seemed unhappy, but remained quiet.

We were joined by Ron, Hermione, and Harry, and made our way to the Great Hall for breakfast. As were walking, and idea popped into my head.

"Hermione, you said that your parents are Muggles, right?" I asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Are there any clubs at Hogwarts where students play Muggle sports?"

"Not that I can think of. In fact, the only club I can think of is the Gobstones club, why?"

"Emmett loves sports, but he can't try out for the Quidditch team, for obvious reasons. I was wondering if there was any outlet for him."

"Well, if you talk to a teacher, they might be able to set it up." She added in a quieter voice, "I've heard that you and Professor Black are close, why not ask him?"

"Good idea, thanks Hermione."

"Don't mention it." she said.

I saw Catie sitting at the table, and walked over to sit with her.

"Hi Catie. I didn't see you in the Common Room this morning."

"I move fast." She said, "I saw you with your family and it looked like your brothers were arguing, and I didn't want to intrude."

I changed the subject, "So what do you want to do with the free period that Hagrid is giving us?"

"I already have all my homework done, even the essays." Catie admitted, "I know that your siblings like chess, and I used to play with my parents once in a while, do you want to play a match?"

"It's not like there's much else to do." I said, "So why not?"

I decided to actually try some human food to see if I liked any of it, but it all tasted like dirt to me, so I gave up. After breakfast ended, I said goodbye to my family and Hermione, Harry and Ron still ignored me for the most part, and Catie and I returned to the Common Room.

We set up the chess board and began playing. I discovered quickly that Catie and I were a fairly even match.

As we were playing, I decided to strike up a conversation, "So, what is your home like?"

"Well, I told you yesterday that it was a fairly small village." She began, "My parents bought a house that was a bit separated from the rest of the village, near a cliff the overlooked the ocean. I think they hoped that if they weren't near the village, the other villagers wouldn't notice us."

"Did they notice you?"

"They did at first, but my parents acted so coldly to them that they eventually stopped trying to get to know us. I guess that it was for the better. My parents work in the Department of Mysteries, and if Muggles found out about anything that they did, they'd get in huge trouble with the Ministry."

"Department of Mysteries?" I asked.

"Oh right, you're from America so you probably haven't heard of it." Catie said, "It's where the Ministry does all sorts of stuff that they don't want the average person to find out about. Spell experimentation and the like. People who work there are called Unspeakables because they can't say anything about what they work on."

"So you don't actually know what your parents' jobs are?"

"Beyond the fact that they both studied spell theory intensively, no. Though from that I'd assume that they're involved in spell development."

We finished our game of chess, and after our free period ended, we made our way to Potions.

As usual, Snape treated me rather coolly though the class passed without any major incident.

We entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and took our seats. Professor Lupin had told us that he wouldn't be teaching today, but hadn't explained why, so we waited to see who our substitute was going to be. I was surprised when I saw my Grandfather walk into the room.

"Hello class," Carlisle said, "My name is Doctor Cullen, and as you probably know, I am assisting Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing this year. Professor Lupin is unable to teach today, so I will be supervising the class. He told me that he wanted me to begin a dueling tournament for him. He also wanted me to make it clear to you that you are to use disarming spells only, nothing else. He has already drawn up pairings for the tournament, so if you would please come to the front of the room when your name is called."

I watched the duels with decreasing interest as the class wore on. The outcome of most of the duels were was based on who would be the first to trip over their own feet while trying to fire a spell. Finally, my name was called.

"Nessie Cullen, and Russell Peters."

We both stood and walked to the front of the room. We took our places across from each other, and assumed dueling stances. I pictured my plan in my head. I would cast a spell immediately after Carlisle gave the signal, and hope that he was too surprised to dodge it.

"Begin," Carlisle said.

Immediately, I fired a spell at Russell, hoping that he wouldn't be expecting such a quick offensive. He sidestepped the spell, though it looked as if the edge of it passed through him. Instead of counterattacking, he just stood there, so I fired another spell at him. This time, he didn't dodge it, and his wand went flying.

"Very good, the next pair will be Miss Simmons and Mister Green."

I returned to my seat, and Catie congratulated me on my victory. I saw Russell talking to his friends, and decided to listen in.

"It was weird," he said, "I dodged her first spell, but as it went by me, I got this picture in my head of me standing still, and her hitting me with a spell, and next thing I knew, it happened."

"Stop making excuses," his friend said, "You lost. To a girl." He added, as if it was the world's greatest insult.

I ignored that, and listened to Russell's response, "I'm serious. I'm not sure what it was, but I don't think magic is supposed to make you see things in your mind."

Russell's friends remained skeptical, but I was worried. I looked at Carlisle to see if he had heard the conversation. He made eye contact with me and gave a slight nod, so I took that to mean that he had. I'd have to go talk with him after my run with Jake.

Class ended before Catie had to duel, for which she was thankful. "I'm not very good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, I don't stand a chance. Do you think Professor Lupin will grade how we do in the duels?"

I tried to put her at ease, "Don't worry about it. Half of the kids are tripping over their own two feet. If you can stay standing, you have a good shot at winning." I laughed, "And I don't think Professor Lupin is grading us, I think he's just doing this as a warm up for our next few lessons."

We sat down in the Great Hall and ate lunch. Mom and Dad sat down next to me, and I discreetly showed Mom what had happened during my duel today. Both she and Dad were perplexed, but agreed that it would be better not to jump to conclusions, and that I should talk to Carlisle later on.

After lunch, Catie and I went to our Transfiguration class. We were rather surprised when we entered the classroom, because professor McGonagall was not in the room. Instead, there was a cat sitting on her desk. Nevertheless, we took our seats. When the bell signaling the beginning of class rang, there was still no sign of Professor McGonagall. Without warning, the cat jumped off of the desk, and transformed into Professor McGonagall.

"Hello class. I can see by the fact that I have surprised you, that most of you are not familiar with Animagi." She said.

Under the shock at watching a cat transform into my teacher, I wondered if McGonagall could teach Jacob to transform while still wearing clothes. Having to undress every time he wanted to phase must be annoying for him, plus he'd never destroy any of his good clothes. Alice was always livid when that happened.

Professor McGonagall began to explain, "Animagi are exceedingly rare, in fact there have only been four that I know of in the past one hundred years. This is because the skill and determination required to become one are immense, and many find that it is completely impossible for them to become an Animagus at all."

"Who are the four Animagi that you know of?" One boy asked.

"Myself," McGonagall said, "And three former students of mine who are all deceased. James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. The fact that they were able to become Animagi is astounding, because they did it at such a young age. It's only been found out that they were Animagi recently, because of developments in the war against You Know Who."

Professor McGonagall continued with her lesson on Animagi, and explained all the laws and regulations regarding them. She then assigned us an essay on how Animagi related to Transfiguration, and how being an Animagus could be useful.

As I entered Jake's classroom, a thought occurred to me. Jake didn't have to keep the fact that he was a werewolf a secret, he could simply announce that he was a wolf Animagus. I wasn't sure what he would think of the idea, but I decided to talk to him about it later.

History of Magical Races passed without incident, and Jake finished his lessons on vampires. I told him that I'd meet him in the Entrance Hall after dinner, and walked with Catie to History of Magic. Surprisingly, I was able to stay awake throughout he entirety of Professor Binn's droning lesson about the Goblin Wars.

Catie and I met up with my family after class, and we returned to the Common Room. Catie and I found a table and worked on our essays for Transfiguration. After a few hours, we had finished the essay, and went to the Great Hall for dinner. I decided not to try anything because I was going hunting with Jake afterwards.

I saw Jake stand up and leave the staff table, so I bade Catie and my family goodbye and went to meet him in the Entrance Hall.

"Hi Jake," I said.

"Hey Nessie, you ready to go for a ride?"

I nodded, and we walked down to the Forbidden Forest together. We left earlier than we had the last time we went hunting, and there was still a bit of sun left, so we had to walk deeper into the forest before Jacob could faze. As we moved deeper into the forest, I smelled something that I was unfamiliar with. The scent was sickly sweet, stronger than a vampire's.

"Jake, do you smell that?" I asked.

"No," He said, "My sense of smell is better when I'm a wolf, let me faze, and then we can go for a run."

He retreated behind a tree, and came back a few moments later in wolf form. He walked up to me happily and licked my face.

"Yuck, Jake." I said, wiping my face with my hands.

He knelt down, and I climbed on to his back as I had done before. Jake bolted into the forest, taking a different route from his last run. I put my hand on him, and sent him an image of my question, _'Do you smell anything strange now?_'

Jake nodded his head up and down, and I asked another question, '_Want to see if we can find out what it is?_"

He seemed hesitant at first, but nodded his head eventually. He slowed down to what could be described as a trot, and began sniffing the gorund. Jake apparently picked up the scent, because he immediately changed direction and began heading deeper into the forest.

Jake and I had been searching for fifteen minutes or so, and the scent was gradually becoming more powerful. We saw a small clearing up ahead, and I sent a question to Jake, "_Let's take a quick break up ahead._"

Jake barked his agreement, and walked towards the clearing. When we entered the clearing, we were both shocked by what we saw. A large, white horse was laying on the ground, dead. A silvery looking fluid was seeping from its neck. After a few moments I recognized it as the unicorn that we had seen during Hagrid's class a few days ago.

I immediately sent the images of the class to Jacob, along with the question '_Do you think we should tell someone?_'

Jake quickly nodded his head, but rather than begin running towards Hogwarts, he went in the opposite direction. I decided not to say anything, and just went along with the ride. After a while we arrived at the edge of the forest opposite Hogwarts Castle. Jake knelt down, and I hopped off his back. He retreated behind a tree, and emerged a few seconds layer as a human.

"What happened to telling someone about the unicorn?" I asked.

"We will, I just figured that you'd want a little while to relax first."

We relaxed near the edge of the forest, talking for a little while. As the sun began to set, Jake said, "It'll get dark soon, and Edward wanted me to get you back earlier this time. We should get going."

"Okay," I said, "But I think I want to run this time. I need to stretch my legs."

Jake fazed, and we began running back towards Hogwarts.

* * *

**Jacob's Point of View**

As Nessie and I were running back to Hogwarts, I noticed that Seth and Leah were running patrols around La Push.

'_Hi Seth, hey Leah, everything looking good back home?_' I asked.

'_Hey Jake,_' Seth replied, enthusiastic as always, '_Things look fine_.'

'_Yep we're doing fine. How are things at freak-o academy?_' Leah asked.

Over the past three years, Leah's personality had calmed down a bit, but she was still sarcastic as ever.

'_Things are good here_' I replied, '_Nessie and I are out for a run. The school's grounds are amazing._'

'_How is everyone doing with the magic?_' Seth asked.

'_Amazingly, they've completely caught up with the rest of their class. I haven't seen much of it for myself, but I have seen Bella levitate her pile of books and Emmett used magic to trip someone yesterday. He got two detentions for it._'

Both Leah and Seth laughed at the memory of Professor Flitwick yelling at Emmett.

'_Great, so now all of the leeches are mindfreaks instead of just Edward, Alice, and Jasper._' Leah added.

Seth continued asking questions about Hogwarts, and Leah surprisingly seemed to be interested in my answers as well. When Nessie and I were about halfway back to Hogwarts, the sun set completely. I continued talking with Seth and Leah, but suddenly, I heard a third voice. It was faint at first, but it became clearer as we got closer to the castle.

'_Who...Seth and Leah?...recognize...names...La Push?...confused._'

'_Hey Seth, Leah,_' I thought, '_I'm hearing another voice, but it's really faint. Are you hearing anything?_'

'_No, I'm not hearing anything._'

'_Neither am I. Maybe you've finally lost it oh fearless leader?_'

I ignored Leah's comment, '_Could you two phase for a little while so I can try to figure out what's going on?_'

They both agreed, and phased out. I looked ahead, and noticed that we had almost reached the castle.

'_Hello?_' I thought.

'_Hello? What's going on?_' The voice responded.

'_Can you hear me?_' I asked, feeling a little stupid, because I was pretty sure about the answer.

'Y_es, who are you?_'

'_I'm Jacob Black, who are you?'_

'_I'm Remus Lupin, why can I hear your voice in my head? Are you a Legilimens?_'

I thought for a moment, '_Wait, Professor Lupin?_'

'_Yes, I teach at Hogwarts._'

I looked up at the sky, and noticed the moon. It was full.

'_Tonight is the night of the full moon, so you're in wolf form right now. Dumbledore told me that I would want to talk to you, but I haven't had the chance._'

'_How do you know Dumbledore?_'

'_I teach at Hogwarts as well. I'm the new Professor for History of Magical Races. I'm a werewolf too, but slightly different from you. I can control when I change._'

'_Yes, Albus told me about you. That still doesn't explain why I can hear your thoughts however._' Lupin, who seemed to be regaining his composure, asked.

'_My entire pack can hear each other's thoughts when in wolf form, and alphas can hear other alpha's thoughts when in close proximity._' I hazarded a guess, '_I assume that because you're not part of a pack, that you're, technically, an alpha, which is why we can hear each other.'_

'_I've never had this happen before, or even heard of it._'

'_Well, how many other werewolves do you know personally?_'

'_None,_' he admitted, '_I'd like to continue the conversation now, but I can tell from your thoughts that you are busy. I would like to speak with you tomorrow morning however._'

I looked at my surroundings, and noticed that Nessie and I were just about to get to the edge of the forest.

'_I guess I'll come meet you tomorrow. I'll come to your office before breakfast?_'

'_Sounds like a good plan, I look forward to speaking with you._'

Nessie stopped at the edge of the forest, waiting for me to phase. I phased, threw my clothes on, and walked with her out of the forest.

I decided to recount to Nessie what had happened during our trip.

"That was a very interesting run..."

* * *

**A/N **I apologize for switching points of view mid chapter, but it was necessary for me if I didn't want to cut this into two separate chapters. I have the next chapter planned, so it should be coming soon. It will include Jake and Nessie meeting with Dumbledore to tell him about the unicorn, and Jake meeting with Lupin.


	8. Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings

Chapter 8: Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings

**Jacob's Point of View**

After I recounted that conversation that I'd had with Professor Lupin while in wolf form to Nessie, we walked up to the Castle. We didn't see anybody in the halls, and arrived in front of Dumbledore's office a few minutes later.

I looked at the statue and said the password, "Peanut brittle."

The staircase that led to Dumbledore's office appeared, and Nessie and I ascended. I reached up and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dumbledore said from inside.

I opened the door, and Nessie and I stepped into his office.

"Ah, hello Professor Black, Miss Cullen. What brings you two to my office at this odd time of the night?"

I glanced at the clock and noticed that it was nearing midnight. "Well Professor Dumbledore, Nessie and I went out for a run tonight. When I fazed into wolf form, I smelled something strange, so we went to investigate. We found a unicorn dead, bleeding from the neck."

Dumbledore thought for a moment, "Miss Cullen, has anyone in your family gone out hunting recently?"

"No," Nessie replied, "And the unicorn's blood didn't smell appetizing at all. We've been going much farther away to hunt than just into the forest."

"This is deeply troubling news." Dumbledore said, "Do you either of you know of the powers of unicorn blood?"

"Hagrid told us a little bit, but not much." Nessie said.

I shook my head.

Dumbledore sighed, "Unicorn's blood carries both a blessing, and a curse. Unicorn's blood is said to give the consumer new life. However, to kill something so pure in cold blood, simply for personal gain, irreversibly changes a person. While it grants the drinker a longer life, it is nly a half life, for when someone kills a unicorn, they kill a part of themself. Their soul."

"Who would be willing to sacrafice their soul like that?" I asked.

"This has happened once before, five years ago. It was Lord Voldemort's first attempt to return after his defeat."

"I have heard people speak of hi, but who was he?" I asked.

"He was a terrible wizard. He and his followers, Death Eaters, began a reign of terror, killing all of those they considered impure. All who had intermarried with Muggles, or were born of Muggles were targets, and the Death Eaters were ruthless. There was a resistance group, the Order of the Phoenix, but our operations were ultimately of little use. Then, one day, Voldemort disappeared. He went to a village known as Godric's Hollow to dispose of baby who was prophesied to be the only one capable of defeating him. He killed the infant's parents, and then attempted to kill the child. His spell rebounded however, leaving the child with only a scar."

"And the baby's name was Harry Potter." Nessie said.

"Yes, it was." Dumbledore said. "For years, many believed Voldemort to be dead. But five years ago, he returned. He inhabited the body of our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Quirrell. He sought the Sorcerer's Stone, which would have given him the one thing he desires, immortality. In order to sustain his feeble life in Quirrell's body, he forced Quirrell to drink the blood of unicorns. He was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Sorcerer's Stone was destroyed. However, two years ago, Voldemort was able to return to life in his own body. Since then, he has made a small number of attacks. You can see now why this is very troubling news indeed."

"What do you think this means?" I asked.

"Voldemort may have a new plan to achieve immortality, but I am not sure. And that is what frightens me." Dumbledore said. "I will notify the Order of the Phoenix, and we will try to find out what we can. We will post some guards in the Forbidden Forest, to ensure that we will know if this happens again. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"How many people are members of this Order?" I asked.

"We have approximately thirty members."

"And I'm going to guess that most of them have day jobs, or are busy with other Order work?"

"Yes, we have a few members who are doing full time work for the Order, but most of our group are not available to do much. Many of them are still complacent from the years of peace between Voldemort's time of power, and now."

"Professor, you know that I'm a werewolf, but I don't think I went very far into the specifics when I told you. If you'd like I can ask a few members of my pack to come run patrols in the Forest, which will leave the Order free to deal with more pressing matters."

"I couldn't impose upon your friends to do that." Dumbledore said.

"I'm sure they won't mind. I know Seth's always been interested in travelling, and things have probably gotten boring in La Push. I'm sure that once they heard the story, the whole pack would want to join the Order."

"I can see that you are set on this, and I must admit that it would help. I do not think think it wise however to induct you into the Order. Your eagerness is wonderful, but for now, I believe it would be best to keep your... abilities, a secret to all who have no pressing need to know. And because you cannot do magic, members of the Order would become suspicious very quickly."

Nessie, who had been relatively silent said, "I'm sure that my family would want to help, and we can do magic, so there would be no need to reveal our secret to the Order. Plus, with our abilities, we could be an asset."

"Miss Cullen, I have no doubt that you are right, and though you are wise beyond your years, you still look to be a child to the naked eye. Generally the Order does not allow members under the age of seventeen. And because the rest of your family are acting as sixth year students, they would be under seventeen as well. Rest assured, that if the need arises and the time is right, I will ask you and your family for help."

Dumbledore directed his attention back towards me, "Getting back to the prospect of bringing members of your pack to patrol the Forbidden Forest, assuming that they are willing, I can arrange to have them floo to the Castle at their convenience. I will also be able to provide the adequate lodging"

"That would be great, I don't think that they would appreciate sitting in a plane for twelve hours. I'll speak to them tonight, and tell you how to reach them tomorrow. Before I go, there is one other thing I would like to talk to you about, regarding Professor Lupin."

"Ah yes. He has been very anxious to speak with you since I told him about your similar condition. Did you speak with him recently?"

"Well no," Jake said sheepishly, "At least not face to face. I've been busy trying to set up classes and haven't had the chance. But tonight, when Nessie and I were running I was able to hear his thoughts as if he were the Alpha of another pack. We actually decided that we'd meet tomorrow before classes began so we could talk."

"That is quite interesting. Do you know much about the differences in the physiology between your pack, and normal humans?"

"I'm not much for science, but Carlisle said that we have an extra chromosome or something once."

"I believe I may have a theory as to why you were able to hear Remus' thoughts, but I do not wish to air it until I have further confirmation. I believe it would be beneficial if Carlisle and I met along with you and Remus so we could discuss this."

"Okay, I'll tell Carlisle on my way to take Nessie to the her dormitory."

"Very well," Dumbledore said, standing up, "I shall see you tomorrow morning. Goodnight Jacob, Renesmee."

Nessie and I left Dumbledore's office and began walking towards the Hospital Wing.

"So why do you think you were able to hear Professor Lupin's thoughts?" Nessie asked.

"I don't know Nessie. Dumbledore has ideas, and if he wants Carlisle there, they must involve some sort of science or medicine that would sound like gibberish to me." I laughed, "I'm planning on meeting Lupin, seeing what he's like, getting to know him, and just letting Dumbledore and Carlisle do whatever they think they should."

"And who are you thinking you about asking to patrol the Forbidden Forest?"

"Well, I know Seth would love to do it, and since he just turned eighteen, I figured I'd ask him. And if Seth comes, I'd put it at about eighty-twenty odds that Leah will want to come too, just to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'm not sure about anyone else."

"I think you should have Quil or Embry come." Nessie said.

"I can't ask Quil, he has Claire. I don't think Quil would want to be so far away from Claire for long, and I doubt that Claire's mother would approve of sending her to England. Embry would make a good third person to bring though, thanks for the idea."

We arrived at the Hospital Wing and went inside. Carlisle was in his small office, looking as if he was just about to leave. He looked up and noticed Nessie and I standing there and walked out to meet us.

"Hello Jacob, hi Nessie. What are you two doing out so late?"

I gave him a summary of the night's events, and told him that Dumbledore wanted him to meet with us the next morning.

"I think I may have an idea of what he's thinking. I'll meet you tomorrow morning." He said.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow."

Nessie and I bade him goodnight, and I escorted Nessie back to the Gryffindor Common Room. When we reached the portrait, I gave her a quick hug goodnight, and then walked to my room. I threw my clothes on my bed and phased in my bedroom, hoping that someone would be patrolling back home. I was lucky, and noticed that Embry was out running.

'_Hey Jake, what's up?_' Embry thought once he noticed that I had phased.

'_I have something I want to ask you, Seth, and Leah, could you go grab them? It would be easier to ask all of you at once._' I replied.

'_Sure thing, just gimme a minute._'

A few minutes later, Embry phased, and I was alone. A few minutes later, he phased back, along with Leah and Seth.

'_Hey Jake, what's going on? What was up with you hearing the other voice when Leah and I were talking with you earlier? Is there another pack out there?_' Seth asked immediately after phasing.

'_No, there isn't another pack. Let me start from the beginning..._'

I explained to them what had happened with the Nessie and I finding the unicorn, my discussion with Lupin, and my meeting with Dumbledore.

'_So, I was wondering if you guys would mind coming to Hogwarts and running patrols around the Forest for a while?'_ I asked after I had finished the story.

'_That would be great. La Push has been getting a bit boring recently. Plus, it would get Mom of my case about getting a job_' Seth replied.

'_Well, I'm not letting Seth go halfway across the world alone, so I guess I'm coming too_' Leah thought.

'_What about you Embry?_' I asked.

'_Like Seth said, there's not much going on around here, so why not?_'

'_Great, I'll tell Dumbledore tomorrow_'

'_So Captain Canine, how are we going to be getting to England?_' Leah asked.

'_Dumbledore said that he can arrange to floo you over. I'll tell him to meet you at the Cullen's house tomorrow at around nine._'

'_What is 'flooing'?'_ Seth asked.

'_You travel between fireplaces. It's not as bad as it sounds_' I added after hearing their reactions.

'_I guess we'll find out._' Embry thought, '_We'll see you tomorrow Jake._'

I bade them goodnight and phased back. I got ready for bed quickly, and feel asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

*~*~*

I woke up early the next morning and got dressed. I looked at the clock, and decided that Lupin was probably already awake. I left my room, and walked towards his office. When I got there, I knocked on the door. A moment later, Professor Lupin opened the door.

"Ah hello. It's nice to finally meet you in person. I'm Remus Lupin." He held out his hand.

I took it, "It's nice to meet you as well. Jacob Black."

"Well now that we have the formalities out of the way, we might as well get right at why we're both here. What happened last night?"

"I'm not really sure. I was out running as a wolf, and talking with some members of my pack back home. I heard your thoughts, but they couldn't so I told them to phase out so I could figure out what was going on. The only other time that I've been able to hear the thoughts of another wolf, and the rest of my pack couldn't is when I was talking to another alpha."

"You speak of the transformation so casually, is it that easy for you?"

"It was a bit difficult to control at first, but now it's second nature. The only problem is clothing." I admitted. At Lupin's strange look I explained "It took a while to figure out a way to keep your clothes with you when you were a wolf. Before that, we had to deal with a few rather embarrassing situations." I added, recalling some of the more entertaining examples. "What's transforming like for you?"

"In all honesty, it's excruciating. The Wolfsbane potion let's me keep control of my mind, but it doesn't help the pain. What's worse is that I can't control it. But Albus has been kind to me, and gave me a job that I enjoy, so I can't complain."

I remembered the conversation with Dumbledore from the night before, "Speaking of Dumbledore, he said that he had a theory of why I was able to hear your thoughts last night. He and Carlisle will be coming to meet with us."

As if on cue, Dumbledore and Carlisle entered the room.

"Hello Jacob, Remus. I trust that you are well this morning?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm doing well, thank you." Lupin said.

"As Jacob has already informed you, I believe that I may know why you were able to hear each other's thoughts last night. I met with him last night and he did some research. I believe he has some news that may please you."

Carlisle stepped forward, "Yes. I went to the library last night, much to the annoyance of Madam Pince," He added with a slight chuckle, "And did some research on wereolves. Specifically, the physiology of werewolves. There weren't many sources and most of them were rather old, but what I did find out was intriguing. Apparently, werewolves like yourself Professor Lupin have a total of forty-seven chromosomes. One of which is unpaired. Werewolves such as Jacob however have a total of forty-eight. This could mean any number of things, but I have a few ideas. If I could ask you a few questions however, that may help my research."

"Of course, ask away." Remus replied.

"These may seem a bit odd," Carlisle warned, "But please bear with me. First, when you are in wolf form, how much stronger are you compared to when you are human?"

"A fair bit stronger, I nearly destroyed the Shrieking Shack back before Wolfsbane was discovered."

"Okay. And around the time of the full moon, do you notice yourself being hungrier than usual?"

"Normally I feel too sick to eat, but when I force myself to eat, I never seem to feel full."

"And do you eve run a temperature around the full moon?"

"I'm not sure, I don't think I've ever checked."

"Well," Carlisle said, finished with the questions, "Nothing is certain yet, but I believe that the reason you and Jacob were able to hear each other's thoughts is that you are both fundamentally the same when it comes to being a werewolf."

"Then why can I control when I phase, and he can't?" I asked.

"I believe that the extra chromosome that you have, the one that Remus lacks, is what controls the 'symptoms' of being a wolf in the Quileute Tribe. The growth, the high body temperature, the lack of aging, and the ability to control when you phase."

"So what exactly does this all mean?" Remus asked.

"I believe, that with some further study, and perhaps some help from Professor Snape, a potion could be produced that would give your body cells a forty-eighth chromosome like the ones found in the Pack of La Push. Meaning, you would be able to control when you change forms. However to be sure, I would like to take a blood sample so I can do more research. I'll also need some of yours Jacob."

"Of course, I'll let you have some blood. If I'll be able to control my transformations, I'd be willing to give almost anything." Remus said, seeming incredibly excited by the news."

"You can have mine too. It would be great to help." I said.

Carlisle produced two needles, and drew blood from my arm, and Remus' arm. He put the blood into vials, and tucked them into his pocket.

"I'm not sure how long this will take, or even if I am correct, but I will get started on studying these immediately." Carlisle said, excusing himself, and walking out the door.

"Well this was quite a productive meeting," Dumbledore said, "Which is quite a nice change from the usual. Before I leave you two to chat, did you contact your friends yet Jacob?"

"Yes I did, I told them to be waiting in the Cullen's house at about nine o'clock. I knew that you knew where that was already, and I thought it would be easiest for you if they were all in one place."

"In that case, I will go retrieve them, and show them where they will be staying. I'm sure that you will want to see them, so I will point them in the direction of your classroom once classes end."

Dumbledore left, leaving Remus and I alone. There was still about an hour until breakfast began, so Remus and I stayed and talked for a little while. I learned a bit about Remus' history and what it was like being a werewolf in the magical world. I was surprised initially at his mentions of the bigotry. But when I thought about it, it made sense. The only reason that the La Push Packs hadn't experienced it was that we kept our condition secret for the most part.

Remus was quite interested in learning about my history as well, and like most people, found the concept of imprinting somewhat disturbing at first, but fascinating. I told him about my first transformation, how the Packs ended up splitting, and what the Pack mentality was like. He seemed particularly interested in the Volturi, but I told him to ask Carlisle or Esme about it, because the knew more than I did.

Eventually, we left for breakfast, and then for our classrooms. I was glad that I had gotten a chance to talk with Remus, and hoped that Carlisle would be able to find a way to help him.

*~*~*

Most of the classes I taught passed slowly that day. I didn't have any plans, so I ended up just improvising as I went along. My improvising wasn't as smoothing as I would have liked, but it got the job done. Nessie and I had a quick chat after her class, and I told her that Seth, Leah, and Embry would be arriving today, and that she should come back to the classroom after her final period if she wanted to say hi to them.

After the last class of the day, I called Edward and Bella to my desk, "Did Nessie haved a chance to tell you about what happened last night?" I asked.

"She did." Edward replied.

"After I got back to my room, I phased, and asked Embry, Seth, and Leah to come run patrols here. They got here earlier today, but Dumbledore said he'd send them here after classes. I figured that you'd want to stick around and say hi."

"That'd be great, I haven't spoken with either of them since before we left." Bella said.

"I can hear their thoughts," Edward said, "They'll be a few minutes, they just left where they'll be staying. I believe it's called the Shrieking Shack. Nessie said that you were able to communicate with Professor Lupin while in wolf form? Did you learn anything new about that this morning? His thoughts were very confused and preoccupied during class."

"To make a long story short, Carlisle thinks that with help from Professor Snape, he might be able to devise a potion that would allow Remus to control his transformations like I can. Carlisle said that Remus had one more chromosome than humans, but one less than La Push werewolves." I ran through the conversation in my head so that Edward would be able to hear it from the source rather than through my explanation.

"Interesting. I will have to ask Carlisle about his findings." Edward said quietly.

Nessie walked into the classroom and we asked her about her day. A few minutes later, Leah, Seth, and Embry walked in.

"Hey Jake, how's it going?" Embry asked.

"I've been doing well. This teaching job isn't half bad."

"Of all the careers I would have picked for you, teaching is the last." Leah said, "How many children have you mentally scarred for life so far?"

I pretended to be thinking and counting them off on my fingers, which made everyone chuckle.

"So how was your trip?" I asked.

"Floo powder is crazy," Seth replied, "One minute, I'm standing in the Cullen's living room fireplace, the next, I'm spinning around and end up halfway across the world."

"Yeah, magic can be weird like that." Bella said, "Did you notice that the paintings are alive?"

"Yeah," Leah snorted, "The Headmaster gave us a quick tour, and a painting of some crazy knight challenged us to a duel. This place couldn't be freakier if the whole Volturi showed up."

"Let's hope they don't." Edward said seriously.

"If they did, maybe we'd actually get a chance to tear a few of them to pieces this time, right?" Leah responded.

"Anyway," I tried to change the subject, "Where did Dumbledore put you guys up?"

"He refurbished some place he called the Shrieking Shack." Embry answered, "Apparently there's some sort of legend about ghosts living there, so people avoid it. It's pretty nice actually."

We made some small talk about recent events back home, and at Seth's request, Bella, Edward, and Nessie performed a few simple spells. All three of them seemed impressed.

Nessie, Bella, and Edward left to go to dinner to tell the rest of their family of the new arrivals. Leah, Seth, and Embry invited me to come back to the Shack so I could check it out. They said that Dumbledore promised to have food sent down, so I agreed.

As we were walking, Leah asked, "So did you find anything out about the other wolf?"

"Yeah, I met him this morning. Carlisle and Dumbledore were there too. He's like a real werewolf, he only transforms at full moon, and he needs to take a potion to remain in control of his mind when he does. Carlisle did some research, and he thinks he might be able to make something that will let him control the transformations like us."

The rest of them digested the information as we walked. They led me to a tree that seemed to be moving on it's on accord. Seth picked up a long branch, and started poking at it's trunk. Eventually, the tree stopped moving, and we walked over to it, and into a tunnel beneath it. As we walked through the tunnel, Embry explained what Dumbledore had said about the Whomping Willow which cleared my confusion.

We reached the end of the tunnel and opened a door that led into the Shack. The Shack was small, but well lit and decorated, and had all the necessities. It also had three seperate bedrooms. A few minutes after we arrived, a house elf apparated into the small dining area, nearly giving us all a heart attack, and left dinner on the table.

The next ten minutes or so were silent except for the sounds of our eating. When we had finished, we sat around the table talking.

After a while, I looked out the window. "It's getting dark out, I should get going. Before I go, we should set up patrol schedules though. We don't have to worry about the day time, because the centaurs have that pretty well covered. I think they'd stop anyone in the forest, friend or for honestly. For nights, I figure three people can do five hour shifts each night, that way one of us can rest each day. I'll run the first shift tonight, who wants the next two?"

"I'll take the second shift." Leah volunteered.

"And I'll take the third," Seth said.

"Any objections Embry?" Embry shook his head so I continued, "Okay, then you can take the first shift tomorrow, I'll take second, Leah third, and Seth can have the night off. We'll just rotate like that."

I said goodbye, and headed back to the tunnel. When I reached the other end, I poked at the Willow's trunk until I found the spot that made it stop moving. I then ran for the forest, and once I reached the threshold, I took my clothes off and phased.

As I ran, I slowly let my wolf instincts take over, and focused on one thing. Making sure nothing that could endanger my friends could get near the forest.

* * *

**A/N **I know this seems like I'm fishing for reviews, but I'm curious about what you think about my characterizations. Are people fairly in character, so far? I think I did fairly well, but I want a few more opinions, seeing as I'm writing this half for fun and half to improve my writing.


	9. Issues of Trust

Chapter 9: Issues of Trust

**Bella's Point of View**

Things had been quiet for the past few days. Nessie's class' dueling tournament had ended, she placed third. Alice and I continued going to Divination classes, and Alice was enjoying laughing at Trelawney on a daily basis.

Seth, Embry, and Leah had remained in the forest, and the Cullen family was the only group that knew they were there, which was how they wanted it to be.

Alice and I were just leaving Divination when we were approached by Harry and Ron.

"Hi Harry, Ron. How's it going?" Alice asked.

"I can't complain," Ron said.

"I'm doing fine, thanks," Harry said.

"You seem like you have something to say, what's up?" I asked.

Harry cut to the chase, "Hermione is our best friend, and she's been spending a lot of time with you. Since neither Ron nor I have had a chance to spend much time with you since we tutored you for s bit, we didn't get to know you or your family well. We figured it'd be a good idea to get to know you guys a bit better."

"We're going to Defense Against the Dark Arts now, why don't you walk with us?" Alice said.

They fell into step beside us and we set off towards Professor Lupin's classroom.

"The best way for you to get to know us would probably be to ask us about ourselves, so, what do you want to know?" Alice asked.

I decided to let Alice do most of the talking, as she would be able to see their questions before they were asked, giving her more time to form an answer.

Harry was the first to speak, "Why didn't your family go to school in America, why come all the way here?"

"Our parents thought it would be a good way for us to see someplace other than America. Plus, as you saw when you tutored us, they didn't teach us very well back there. Our parents were offered jobs here after we enrolled." Alice answered.

"Where abouts in the States do you live?"

I decided to answer this question, "We live in Washington, on the west coast."

Their questions began veering towards us and our interests.

"What did you guys do for fun? Your brothers didn't seem familiar with Quidditch." Ron commented.

"We played a lot of Muggle sports, like baseball." Alice said, "Our family was more integrated with non-magic people than most of the families here do. We all read a lot too."

I decided to ask a question myself, "I've heard a lot of people talk about Voldemort, but never really found out who he is. Would you mind explaining?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but was spared from answering the question by our arrival at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Alice and I took our seats with the rest of our family. Professor Lupin spent the class teaching about incantation-less casting. Edward mastered it in very little time, while the rest of us found it to be a bit of a challenge.

"Just focus your whole mind on casting the spell," He encouraged me.

Near the end of class, most of us had managed a few simple spells without needing to use an incantation. A few moments before class ended, we heard Dumbledore's voice.

"All teachers please report to the Entrance Hall immediately. Students are to remain in the classroom they are in until further notice."

Harry immediately stood up, "What's going on Professor?"

"I'm not sure. Just do as Dumbledore said and stay here."

Harry sat down, and Professor Lupin hurried out of the room.

"What do you think is going on?" Somebody asked.

"I don't know, but Dumbledore sounded pretty strained. It can't be anything good."

I looked over to Edward, who seemed to be concentrating on something. After a few moments he grimaced.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"I checked Dumbledore's thoughts. Somebody left a message, and it refers directly to us"

No sooner than he had said that, the door opened and Professor McGonagall stepped through the doorway.

"Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, Miss Granger, please come with me." She the turned in my direction, "Will all the Cullens please come as well?"

I looked at Edward, who nodded subtly and stood up. I followed suit and followed Professor McGonagall out the door.

"What's going on Professor?" Ron asked.

"Professor Dumbledore will explain.." She replied.

We arrived in the Entrance Hall, and saw a crowd of Professors, including Carlisle and Esme, standing there, watching what sounded like an argument.

"I've said this before Albus, they cannot be trusted, they are dark creatures. Even the fools in the Ministry see that the D  
dementors are likely to switch sides."

"Severus, you have made your views clear and I have explained my reasoning. You must trust me in this matter."

Snape seemed about to reply, but he turned and noticed that we had arrived, so he fell silent. A few moments later, Professor Flitwick walked in with Nessie behind him.

Harry stepped forward, "What is going on?"

Dumbledore turned, "We received a message from Voldemort."

"What did it say?"

Dumbledore stepped to the side, revealing blood red lettering on the floor, 'I shall return, more powerful than ever. It is already too late to stop me.'

"I had Professor McGonagall bring you down, because this, obviously, is of concern to you."

Jasper stepped forward, "If I may ask Professor, why did you send for us?" He indicated our family.

"One of our informants picked up some information that concerns you as well."

He led us into the Great Hall, and we saw a ragged man sitting at one of the tables, eating a small meal voraciously.

"Mister Fletcher, if you could come over here?"

The man looked around, and when he saw who had called his name, got up slowly and walked over.

"Mundungus, could you tell us again what you heard?"

"Well, I was in the Leaky Cauldron, not during my shift of course, and I heard a bunch of Death Eaters talkin' about You-Know-Who looking for something called the Volturi."

My entire family tensed visibly, as did Hermione.

"Thank you Mundungus, that will be all." Dumbledore said.

He returned to his seat and continued eating.

"What's the Volturi?" Harry asked.

Hermione acted as if she hadn't been told about them by me, "Remember Professor Black talking about them them during class? They're supposedly a family of vampires, but he said they were a myth."

"So Voldemort is trying to become immortal by becoming a vampire?" Ron asked, "But what makes him think that the myth is true?"

Edward nodded grimly, "You're right Alice, there's no point in trying to hide it from them anymore."

"What are you talking about Edward, Alice didn't say anything, and what do you mean hiding?" Harry asked.

I noticed Professor Dumbledore slowly walking away from our group, allowing us to sort out the situation for ourselves.

Hermione looked nervous as Edward began to speak, "This Voldemort is seeking out the Volturi because they are real. And because they are so thirsty for power, I would be surprised if they did not agree to his request."

"How do you know this?" Harry asked.

"Because we are vampires." He answered simply.

Harry and Ron's reactions were less than ideal. Both immediately took several steps backwards.

"Not possible, how did you get into Hogwarts?" Ron asked.

"Professor Dumbledore offered to let us enroll." Alice told him

Harry's voice took on an accusatory tone, "How could you do this?" He yelled at Professor Dumbledore, "You know that vampires are dark creatures. They're all probably spies for Voldemort!"

"Harry, I assure you that the Cullens are no more dangerous than you or I."

"Except for the fact that Voldemort is going to use them to become immortal."

"Harry," Hermione said pleadingly, "The Cullens aren't like other vampires."

"You knew?" Ron asked, betrayed, "How could you not tell Harry and me about this? I'm with Harry on this one, dark creatures can't be trusted."

"They asked me not to. They wanted you to get to know them better before they sprung this on you."

"You trust them? Hermione can't you see it all lines up? They're using you to get to me. They're working for Voldemort!" Harry yelled, incensed.

Hermione seemed offended, "Well if you don't value my opinions, you obviously don't value my friendship that highly. I'm very capable of making judgements for myself."

Hermione walked over to Professor Dumbledore, "Do you need me to be here for any reason, or can I go back to class?"

"You may return to class if you wish Miss Granger."

As she walked out of the Hall, Edward turned to me, "She apologizes for walking out, she's trying to make a point to Harry and Ron."

"Perhaps you would like for the Cullens to tell you more about the Volturi and Vampires?" Dumbledore prodded Harry.

Harry however was still angry, "I don't need help from someone who's helping Voldemort."

Harry began to leave the Hall with Ron close behind when Professor Lupin called out, "Harry just because someone is technically a dark creature does not make them evil. Werewolves are also considered dark if you've forgotten."

Harry and Ron seemed unconvinced, and continued walking, until they disappeared around the corner.

Professor Dumbledore walked over to us, "I apologize for putting you on the spot like I did. I had no other options when we received the information, and Harry needed to know what he is dealing with."

"Why is everything about this Voldemort important to Harry anyway?"

"That is a very long story. To put things as simply as possible, when Voldemort murdered his parents, he marked Harry as the only one who would be able to defeat him. If you would like, I can provide a more full version of the story later on. I will send a message when I know when I am available."

"So, Harry is destined to beat Voldemort, so he needs to know everything about him? As Sun Tzu said 'If you know your enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a thousand battles.'" Jasper said.

"Yes. Do not worry too much, I will make sure Harry and Ron swear to secrecy and I am sure that with Miss Granger's help they will come around. I think all that can be accomplished here as been done, so why don't you all get on to your next class?"

We bade Dumbledore goodbye and left the Great Hall.

"It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to change Harry and Ron's opinions of us. Their thoughts made their opinions very clear."

"Do you think Hermione will be able to sway them?" Alice asked.

"They're incredibly angry at her for withholding the information. I doubt they'll listen to anything she says about us."

"What do you think we should do?" Emmett asked.

"We should we care?" Rosalie asked. "Dumbledore said he'd swear them to secrecy, so we're safe."

"I agree with Rosalie, if they're going to come around, they'll come around. There's nothing we can do to force them to change their opinions." I said.

"True. I suppose that we will just have to continue as we have been."

~*~*~*~

Time passed and Halloween came and went without much excitement. Harry and Ron avoided my family as much as possible, and after a period of extreme coolness in their relationship, Hermione began splitting her time between Harry and Ron and my family.

The entire Cullen family, plus Jake, met in Dumbledore's office one night to hear the story of Voldemort. After we heard the story we understood the fear most people had that caused them to refuse to say his name. We also understood Harry's distrust of us a bit better.

Fall began to turn to Winter, and the students fell into a routine. One event, however, broke that routine.

Edward, Alice, Nessie, and I were spending some time in the Shrieking Shack, talking with Leah and Seth while was Embry patrolling.

Suddenly, Embry burst into to the room, "I just caught a strange scent. I followed it and about twenty people in masks were approaching the school."

"Could it be Death Eaters?" I wondered.

"It doesn't matter, we need to tell Dumbledore." Was Edward's answer, "You three should phase and tail the group. Don't get too close, just don't let them get near the castle. Alice can you and Nessie go tell Jake while Bella and I notify Dumbledore?"

Alice nodded and she and Nessie sped off. Edward looked at me and we both began running at superhuman speed towards the castle. When we reached the steps we slowed down to a more reasonable speed.

We reached Dumbledore's office, and gave the password. No sooner than we had knocked on the door, it opened.

"Ah hello Mister and Miss Cullen, what seems to be the matter?" Dumbledore asked seeing the looks on our faces.

"Embry saw about twenty people in masks walking through the Forest towards the castle." Edward told him.

"Masks?" Asked a voice from inside Dumbledore's office, "Why would he send Death Eaters to attack Hogwarts?"

Harry appeared next to Dumbledore, ignoring us, he asked, "What should we do Professor?"

"Come with me." He said, "You should come as well." He said to Edward and I.

"Professor, you can't actually trust them..." Harry began, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Now is not the time for prostests Hary, time is of the essence."

Harry begrudgingly complied, but not before glaring at Edward and me. We sped out the doors and on to the grounds. Alice and Nessie arrived with Jake, as well as Jasper in tow.

Edward nodded at a question that Dumbledore had not yet asked. Dumbledore turned to Jake, "Jacob, if you could make contact with your friends and ask the whereabouts of the group?"

"Sure, just give me a minute." Jake said, running towards the Forest.

Harry seemed confused, but did not air any questions. A few moments later, Jake returned.

"Embry says that they're about two minutes away."

"That isn't enough to summon the rest of the staff." Dumbledore said, "We will have to handle the situation ourselves. Jacob gather the other wolves and stand just inside the forest. Do not come out unless the situation gets out of hand."

"Will do." Jake called as he ran back into the forest.

"Professor, who are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"Later Harry, we must prepare."

Just as Dumbledore finished speaking, masked and robed figures began emerging from the forest opposite the side that Jake had just run into.

One masked figure stepped forward. "Ah, I see that our work here will be simple. Voldemort has sent us with a demand Headmaster, give Potter to us, and we shall leave in peace."

"You say that you will leave in peace, but giving Harry to you will only cause more suffering in the long term. I'm afraid that you will need to leave empty handed."

"You don't understand Dumbledore. No is not an option. If you stand aside, we will take Potter and go, but if you refuse, we will be required to use force."

By this time, the last of the Death Eaters had exited the forest. The last two looked immediately towards Edward and I. A split second later, I recognized their scents.

Ignoring the Death Eater that was speaking with Dumbledore, the shorter of the two stepped forward. "Well well, what a strange surprise. Hello again Edward, Bella."

"Hello Jane," Edward replied coldly.

The Death Eater who was speaking with Dumbledore turned, "You recognize these others?"

"Of course, they're vampires, like I am."

"I always thought that you were going senile Dumbledore, but this is proof. But that is of no matter, this is your last chance; give us Potter."

Two Death Eaters began walking towards Harry who had apparently had enough. He whipped out his wand, aimed at the nearest Death Eater and yelled, "Stupefy!"

At that point, the small clearing we were in erupted into a battlefield. Spells began flying, and everyone sought cover. From behind the rock I had ducked behind, I heard Harry yell in pain. I peeked over the rock, and saw Harry writhing in pain. A Death Eater, who I assumed was Jane was focused on him.

Immediately, I expanded my mental shield to cover Harry and Dumbledore, as well as Edward, Jasper, Alice, and myself.

As Harry scrambled to his feet, I heard Nessie yell, "Jake, some help would be nice."

I began firing stunning spells at any Death Eaters I saw, hoping Jake would show up soon. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward and Alice, dueling with Death Eaters and Jasper battling the much smaller Jane.

Dumbledore was dueling with three Death Eaters at once, and three more were converging on Harry, who was defending himself well, though it seemed like he would not be able to keep it up for long.

Edward dispatched the Death Eater attacking him, and raced at superhuman speed towards Harry. Edward raced past Harry and tackled one of the Death Eaters who was focused on Harry. He then quickly stunned the Death Eater and tackled the next.

By this time, Jane had disappeared, and Jasper and Alice were dueling one Death Eater together. Suddenly, four large wolves burst out of the woods, and began chasing after Death Eaters. At some unspoken command, the Death Eaters began apparating away, until the only ones that remained were unconscious on the ground.

The dust had barely settled, and already Dumbledore was composed, as if nothing had happened, "I will summon Professor Flitwick to check the wards on the Castle, to make sure they cannot get in again. I'll leave you here to make sure none of our new guests wake up before the Aurors get here."

While we gathered ourselves, taking in what had just happened, Harry walked over to Edward, "Maybe I judged your family too quickly." He admitted, holding out his hand. "If Voldemort is planning on becoming a vampire, I'll need all the information, and help, I can get."

Edward took Harry's hand and shook it, though Harry did flinch a bit at his cold touch. "We would be glad to help you. If you know of a suitably private place, we can answer any questions you have."

As Harry and Edward talked I looked over towards Nessie, "What took you so long Jake?" She demanded.

In response, Jake padded over to her and licked her face, and then laughed his familiar wolf laugh.

Edward and Harry walked over to me. "Bella, Harry wants to talk to us in the Room of Requirement about. Now seems as good a time as any, would you agree?"

"Yes, that sounds fine." I told him. "Maybe Jake should come too."

"Let me go get Ron and Hermione, they should hear this too," Harry told us, "we'll meet you in the Room."

Edward and I nodded, and as Harry entered the Castle I walked over to Nessie and Jake.

"Hey Jake, Harry wants to talk with us, we think you should come in case he has any questions about wolves, is that okay?"

Wolf Jake nodded and trotted off towards the forest.

"Is it okay if I come too Mom?" Nessie asked.

"Sure, it can't hurt."

Edward called to Alice and Japer, "Can you two handle the Death Eaters until the Aurors Dumbledore was talking about show up?"

"Sure Edward. None of them are going to wake up anytime soon anyway." Alice replied.

Jake returned from the forest as a human, "Sorry I was a little slow on coming to help. I wanted to make sure there weren't any more coming, so I went a bit deeper into the forest. Seth, Embry, and Leah didn't want to come out without me there. Well actually, Leah just wanted to rip somebody's throat out, but Seth and Embry held her back." Jake laughed.

Together, Jake, Edward, Nessie, and I walked into the Castle and to the Room of Requirement, prepared to answer whatever questions that might be asked.


	10. Retelling the Story

Chapter 10: Retelling the Story

**Bella's Point of View**

Jake, Edward, Nessie, and I arrived in the hallway that housed the Room of Requirement, and found Harry, Ron, and Hermione waiting outside the already visible door.

Harry opened the door as we approached, and held it open as we walked it. Inside was a moderately sized room filled with comfortable looking couches and chairs. We took seats near the middle of the room, and were followed by Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Harry and Ron seemed to be feeling slightly awkward, and none of us knew how to start. Thankfully, Hermione saved us from sitting in silence for an eternity.

"I told Harry and Ron that you told me everything when they first found out about you guys. I wound up telling them a bit about you guys, mostly Carlisle. I thought that Carlisle's story might sway them, but it didn't work." at this she gave them a slightly exasperated look.

"Good," Edward said, "We don't have to waste time telling his story again. What do you want to know?"

Harry spoke first, "I want to apologize for treating you like I did. I shouldn't have judged you just because I found out you were vampires. You didn't have any choice in the matter, so I can't blame you for it."

"Harry told me what happened, and anyone that Harry trusts, I do too." Ron said. "Sorry about being so unfriendly and all."

"It's perfectly understandable." Edward told them, "I hated myself for what I was for the longest time. Bella was the one who changed that."

Harry jumped at the segue into a question, "Hermione said that you were more than boyfriend and girlfriend, but never went beyond that. Care to explain."

"Edward and I are married." I said simply.

"What? How old are you?"

"Seventeen," Was Edward's immediate reply.

"How long have you been seventeen?" Harry clarified.

I stifled a laugh as Edward admitted, "A long time."

I picked up from there, "Edward is just over a hundred and ten. I met him and his family when I went to high school about five years ago. I was seventeen then."

"How old were you really?" Ron asked.

"Seventeen, I just became a vampire a few years ago." I told him.

I continued before he got a chance to respond. "I moved to Washington when I was seventeen. I met Edward and the Cullens, and after a while, I won't go into details, Edward and I got to know each other. I figured out what he was, with some help from Jake here, but by that point I couldn't care less.

After I graduated, we got married. On the honeymoon, I got pregnant. Because the baby was half vampire, it grew much faster than normal, and when it came to term, it tore through my stomach, and Edward turned me into a vampire to save me. I would have become one anyway, but that's how it worked out."

"What happened to the baby?" Harry asked.

"Nessie wasn't really happy that she almost killed me, but she's turned out fine." I said, jokingly.

"Nessie is your daughter?" Harry asked, disbelieving. "How old are you Nessie?"

"Chronologically, three. I'm physically eleven, and much older than that mentally."

Harry and Ron took a few minutes to digest this. Ron finally spoke, "I'm thinking of it because Bella mentioned you. Why are you here Professor Black?"

"I came with the Cullens from Washington. Harry. You remember the wolves you saw out there? One of them was me. I'm like Professor Lupin, but I can control my transformations."

"Jake's a lot like a wolf animagus" Hermione said to clarify.

"I'm a Quileute. My tribe's legends say that our early ancestors were able to change into wolves. They go on to say that when the Cullens showed up, some of the men of the tribe began turning into wolves again. We made an agreement with them that if they never harmed a human, we wouldn't attack them. We were designed to kill vampires."

"Were the other wolves people from your tribe too?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I asked Dumbledore if he wanted them to patrol the Forbidden Forest after we found the dead unicorn. I assume he told you about that?"

Harry nodded, "So you're all here just to keep an eye out for bad vampires?"

"Actually," Jake said a bit embarrassed, "I came because of this little man-eater." He nudged Nessie, "This might be a bit confusing, but sometimes wolves in my tribe imprint. It's like gravity shifts and becomes centered on the person you imprint on. I guess you could call it love at first sight, but it's stronger than that. Anyway, Nessie's my imprint, and there was no way I could go for such long stretches of time without seeing her, so now I'm here, teaching lessons in a subject I know nothing about." He laughed.

"You seemed to know what you were talking about when you were talking about those myths involving vampires." Harry said.

"Well actually, most of that was true, that's why. I just used everything I knew about the Volturi."

"That makes sense after Dumbledore explaining Voldemort's plans. It's nice to get to know you better, and I'd like to ask more questions later, but now, the most important question is; how are we going to stop Voldemort?" Harry said.

"It would be easier to figure that out if we knew whether Voldemort has changed yet." Hermione said.

"Alice might be able to see it happening, we should ask next chance we get." I said.

Seeing Harry and Ron's confusion, I added, "Alice can see the future. Some of us have powers. Edward reads minds, Nessie can push images into your mind, and Jasper can manipulate emotions."

Harry took the news in stride, "Regardless, we should prepare for Voldemort to be a vampire. I'd say now would be a good time to re-assemble Dumbledore's Army. We started a group to train in Defense Against the Dark Arts last year because we had a horrible teacher. It evolved into a student group sort of like the Order of the Phoenix. Except we mainly train, we haven't done anything against Voldemort directly, except for once."

"You won't go into any details with the group yet, correct?" Edward asked.

"Not until you're ready for the rest of the school to know. Though I would ask that you let me bring three more close friends into the fold. I would trust them with my life, and they are open-minded people."

"That would be fine. If you just ask them to stay late at the meeting that you are calling so we can explain, it should work out perfectly."

"If we start the word around tomorrow, we could get the DA assembled by Friday I'd bet." Ron said.

"Let's do that then. Hermione, do you still have those fake Galleons we used last year?"

"I have them in my trunk. We can pass them back out at the meeting."

"Excellent." Harry said, "In the meantime, maybe we should look through the library and see if we can find anything on fighting vampires?"

"I know a few books of old spells that might be useful. I'll check some of them out tomorrow." Hermione said.

"Great. In that case, it would probably be easier for you if you spared the details now, and wait to explain everything that might be useful until everyone that needs to know is here. Just so you don't end up repeating yourselves. Oh, and make sure to invite your other brothers and sisters."

"Okay, we will." Edward agreed.

Harry stood up. "It's late, so we should probably be getting back to the Common Room. I'd like to apologize for my actions again Edward, Bella, Nessie."

"It's alright. You came around in the end, that's what matters." I assured him.

Nessie and Edward agreed, and we left the Room of Requirement. Jake returned to his office, and the rest of us began the walk back to the Common Room talking amicably.

When we arrived, the Common Room was nearly empty. Edward, Nessie, and I bade goodnight to Harry, Ron and Hermione. About five minutes later, Jasper and Alice returned, saying that the Aurors had just arrived. Nessie replayed the conversation in the Room of Requirement for them. They both seemed very interested in the DA, and were glad that Harry and Ron had come around.

Jasper and Edward said they would fill Emmett in, and Alice and I said that we would do the same for Rosalie. After that, we said goodnight,  
and went to our dormitories.

~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, we met in the Common Room, and were joined by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. We made our way down to the Great Hall together, and were greeted by a few surprised looks, which was to be expected  
because Harry and Ron had refused to associate with us for the past month.

We sat down, and Ron began placing a mound of food on his plate.

Edward chuckled, "Yes, that is why we don't eat. Actually, we can, but it doesn't provide any nourishment."

Ron stared at Edward for a moment, and then remembered that he could read minds, and nodded.

"How did you guys entertain yourselves in America?" He asked casually.

"We do enjoy the ocassional game of baseball" Edward said, "Though these past six years or so have been so busy, that we haven't really  
needed to worry about keeping ourselves entertained."

Harry and Ron asked a few more questions about home, and we told them about Forks and La Push, what they were like, and about some of the  
people there. Soon, it was time for class, and Alice, Harry, Ron, and I walked towards Divination.

As we walked, Alice started laughing, "This is perfect. Trelawney is going to try to run me out of class today, by telling me that I don't  
have the 'Inner Eye,' and that I would be better off taking some other subject."

Knowing Alice's tendency to go overboard, I asked, "What are you planning on doing?"

"Not much, I'll just predict anything interesting that's going to happen during the rest of the class."

Harry and Ron laughed, "It'll be good for that old fraud to be given a taste of her own medicine. Though, that might not be the right term  
seeing as she hasn't predicted anything more significant than what we're having for dinner in years." Harry said.

At that point, we had to stop discussing it, as we had arrived at the classroom. Class began normally, with neither of us seeing anything in  
our tea leaves, which we were still using.

About halfway through the class, Trelawney approached Alice and I. "What do your tea leaves say about your future?" She asked us.

"I'm not sure," Alice replied innocently, "I haven't been able to see anything."

"Oh dear. I was afraid of this. I fear that you just do not have the Inner Eye which allows you to divine the future. But worry not, it is  
a rare gift. I fear you may be better served if you asked Professor McGonagall to place you in a different class. Other subjects at  
Hogwarts may be learned, but the Inner Eye is a gift."

"I haven't been able to see anything about my future, I mean." Alice continued.

"Oh, then what have you seen?" Asked Professor Trelawney.

"Nothing important. But, that candle" she pointed over Trelawney's shoulder, "Is going to go out in three minutes and twenty seven  
seconds, Ron is going to fall asleep six minutes before class ends. You are going wake him up right before the bell. Oh and Dennis Creevy is  
going to faint halfway through his class Transfiguration today."

"Dear, there's no reason to make up such stories," Professor Trelawney said sympathetically, "Such things cannot be seen in tea leaves. You  
either have the Inner Eye or you do not. Pretending will not help, and will only earn you titles such as 'fraud.'"

Most of the class had difficulty containing their laughter at her last comment.

"Maybe you are right, but I think I want to stay just a bit longer." Alice told her, still as innocent as she had been when she began.

"Very well, but I fear that you are wasting your time."

Professor Trelawney continued around the room. About a minute later, someone said "Look at the candle, it's about to go out!"

Everyone turned towards it, and it did in fact extinguish.

"It was exactly three minutes, twenty seven seconds. I kept track with my watch." Seamus said.

"It is nothing but a coincidence. You cannot see events such as that in tea leaves." Professor Trelawney said.

Many people were skeptical of what she said, but everybody returned to their work. As the class neared its end, Someone noticed that Ron had  
indeed, fallen asleep. Word made it's way quietly around the room, that yet another of Alice's predictions came true.

Eventually, Professor Trelawney noticed the commotion, "Mister Weasley, feigning sleep to make it seem like Miss Cullen's predictions  
were correct is quite improper. All you are doing is feeding her delusions of having the Inner Eye."

In response, Ron gave a loud, genuine, snore.

At this, Professor Trelawney shook him awake, as Ron was mumbling, "Huh, whozzat?" the bell rang.

"Pure coincidence!" Exclaimed Professor Trelawney, "Tea leaves do not show daily events, only the outline of ones life."

Alice, Harry, Ron, and I left the class, with Trelawney still asserting that everything that had happened was coincidence.

"That was bloody brilliant." Ron told Alice. Everyone around us concurred.

We walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and met up with Hermione the rest of the Cullens, minus Nessie. I told Edward what had happened  
in Divination, and he shook his head, but laughed.

The class was fairly routine. Professor Lupin was lecturing to prepare us to face a Boggart. Something that most of the students had already  
done when he taught in third year, but something he felt was worth doing again.

Professor Lupin announced that our homework was to practice the wand motion for the 'Riddikulus' spell and dismissed us as the bell rang.

Muggle Studies was also routine. Esme lectured about Muggle methods of travel, and the rest of the class asked numerous questions. The one  
thing that seemed to intrigue most of them was how airplanes managed to stay in the air.

We sat with Nessie at lunch, and talked with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Deciding to return the favor from this morning, I started asking Ron  
and Hermione about their families. We had all heard Harry's story from Dumbledore after the message from Voldemort had arrived.

"Ron," I began, "Whats life at your house like? I'm interested to know what it's like living in a magical household."

Ron looked up from the lunch he had been busy devouring. "My family lives in a cottage. It isn't much really, but it's home. All of my  
brothers have moved out, so now it's just Mum, Dad, Ginny, and me."

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Five, Fred and George who left school last year, Percy, Charlie, and Bill."

"You have six siblings?" I asked, surprised, "Are most magical families so big?"

Ron turned a bit red at this, "No, they're not. Weasley families just are always big."

Sensing that Ron was a bit uncomfortable, I directed my next question at Hermione. "What about you Hermione? You said your parents are  
muggles, what's it like trying to explain magic to them?"

"I tried to explain it to them a lot when I was younger, but I wasn't allowed to show them, so it was difficult to explain very well. I've  
given up on trying to explain much to them, because it's just such a foreign concept that you have to see it to understand it. They have  
done their best to be supportive though. I also don't tell them much because I don't want them to worry about the danger I get into with  
Harry." She added with a twinge of sadness.

"I had to do the same thing with my dad when..." I looked around to make sure no one was listening, "...I was changed. We explained the  
bare minimum that we could, and he promised that he wouldn't ask questions. I still haven't told or seen my mother since then."

"What do you parents do for a living?" Hermione asked.

"My Dad is a police officer in Forks. My Mom follows my step-Dad, who plays baseball. What do yours do?"

"My parents are dentists."

"They did a good job with your teeth." I commented, seeing Hermione's perfectly aligned teeth.

"Actually, I did that." She replied sheepishly. "Malfoy hit me with an engorgement charm once, and my teeth grew to a huge size. Madme  
Pomfrey reversed the spell, and I let her do an extra bit of tidying up. My parents weren't happy. They didn't trust magic with something  
as important as my dental health." Hermione laughed. I joined in laughing as we picked up our books and made our way to the  
dungeon for Potions.

Snape had us working on the Draught of Living Death today. The first surprise came at the beginning of class when he allowed us to select  
our own partners. I took the obvious choice in Edward.

At the end of class, he looked at the part of the potion that Edward and I had brewed and surprised us again by saying, "Acceptable. Five  
points to Gryffindor."

We spent the entirety of the walk to Charms trying to figure out what had happened to Snape to make him actually give points to Gryffindor.

Professor Flitwick was testing us today, by haveing us enchant an apple to emulate tap-dancing around a table. I had some trouble at  
first, but did relatively well. Emmett did not fair nearly as well. When he was finished, his apple looked more like it had been run over  
by a car full of tap-dancers than it had been tap-dancing.

After Charms and History of Magical Races, we chatted with Jake for a few minutes. Then, we returned to the Common Room before dinner.

A few minutes after getting to the Common Room, Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and Rosalie left, saying that they had things to do. Hermione  
also said that she was going to the library to start doing research.

Edward, Nessie, and I were sitting near the fire, watching Harry and Ron playing chess when a brown owl started pecking at the window.  
Harry stood up and opened the window for it. The owl landed on his shoulder, so he removed the letter from it's leg, and it flew off.

Harry came back, and read the letter, "Dumbledore heard that we're re-starting the DA. He asked me to get someone to observe the group,  
seeing as the legitimate clubs here all have Professors who watch over them and make sure they don't get into any trouble."

"Do you think Professor Lupin would go for it?" Ron asked.

"I was actually going to go ask him now. I'm sure that he'd be willing to help."

"Perhaps you should invite Professor Black as well?" Edward suggested, "I'm sure that they would appreciate a chance to get to know each  
other, seeing as they are in similar situations."

Harry seemed to understand the hint, "That's a good idea Edward. Do you, Bella, and Nessie want to go ask him while Ron and I ask  
Professor Lupin?"

"Of course." Edward replied.

Edward, Nessie, and I walked to Jacob's office and went inside.

"Hey, guys whats up?" He asked.

"We were wondering if you wanted to come to the meeting of the group that Harry was talking about yesterday. Dumbledore wants a Professor  
to be at the meeting because the other student groups have to have a Professor present. Professor Lupin will probably be there as well." I  
told him.

"Sure, why not. It'll be cool to get to see some real magic" Jake said.

"It's also a good excuse for you to be there so you can be there while we explain our story, again, to Harry's friends."

"Maybe we should just write a book." Jake suggested, "We can put all the basics about vampires and werewolves in it, and just hand it out  
to people that need to know. It'd so much easier than telling the story so many times."

I laughed, "I don't think we'll need to tell the story many more times."

"Ah well, just a thought." He paused for a second, then added, "I was just about to go to the Shrieking Shack to have dinner with the Pack. Do you want to come?"

"No, thank you." Edward said, "Harry and Ron would be wondering where we went."

"Can I go?" Nessie asked.

I looked Edward, and a second later, he said, "I don't see why not. Is that okay Jacob?"

"Of course," Jake said grinning.

"We'll see you back in the Common Room." I told Nessie, "Bye Jake."

As Edward and I returned to the Common Room, I could feel the anticipation of the DA meeting building up. I was very curious to see  
how Harry, supposedly the only person who could defeat Voldemort, was preparing himself for the battle.


	11. Dinner With the Wolves

**A/N: **I generally avoid writing Author's Notes, as I find it makes it more difficult for a reader to really get into the story when the author is popping in every chapter and talking about whats int he chapter, or why it took so long to update etc., so I'll try to include everything I need to in this one, so I can avoid needing another one for a few chapters. (If you like Author's Notes, and think my impression is completely wrong, feel free to let me know).

So...First off, this chapter is incredibly short, but it ended in the spot I wanted it too. I was debating tacking what will be the next chapter on to it, but that would involve a mid-chapter PoV switch, which I try to avoid at all costs, and it would make the chapter disproportionately large in comparison to the others.

In short, good news: a new chapter is up, and the next one will be long.  
Bad news: This one isn't very long.

On the status of the story as a whole, I have the next five or so chapters planned out, and exciting things should be happening if all goes according to plan. However, the story is not even halfway finished by my estimates. I have the whole conflict planned out, and I'm working on laying the groundwork for it. So, if you're wondering how long the story is going to be approximately, I'd say 90,000 words, and twenty to twenty-five chapters plus.

Third, I think I've mentioned this somewhere before, but I absolutely hate the title I have for this story. If anyone can think of a better one, please send me a message, e-mail, review with it, etc. If I do decide to change the title, I'll announce it in the next two chapters, at the top, in bold, before I do so. I'll also credit whoever thinks it up.

Finally, thank you to all my reviewers. From this point on, I intend to respond to every review that I can. For those of you who have left reviews specifically asking questions or critiquing my writing, please keep doing so. I want everything that I can get that will help improve my writing, because that's half the reason I'm doing this.

Now, all that's left for you guys to do is to read the chapter, and hopefully not notice that this author's note is approximately 1/5 of the text of this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 11: Dinner With the Wolves

**Jake's Point of View**

After Bella and Edward said goodbye, Nessie and I started walking to the Shrieking Shack.

"I haven't seen you in a while, how have things been?" I asked.

"Good." She replied, "It's really amazing all the things I'm learning to do with magic."

"Yeah, it would make my life a lot easier if I could use magic for half the stuff you can."

"I only know the basics and you're saying that, imagine how envious you'll be once I'm finished with school?"

I thought for a moment, "That's true. I guess it's a good thing I'll be living with an entire family that can do magic, isn't it?"

Nessie laughed in response, and waited patiently while I used a long branch to push the knot on the Whomping Willow so we could get to the Shrieking Shack.

"So, have you, Leah, Seth, or Embry seen anything unusual in the forest yet?

"Other than the Death Eaters, nothing alarming. Though I swear I saw a centaur or something once."

"I take it we won't be learning about centaurs in your class then?"

"Wait, are they real?" Nessie nodded, holding back a small laugh, "That makes sense, this whole place shouldn't exist except in stories. But no, you don't need to worry about a test on the centaur wars of 1236 any time soon."

We arrived at the trap door that led into the Shack, and I opened it, allowing Nessie to enter first.

"Honey, I'm home!" I yelled as I walked in.

"Well, at least he's finally admitting he isn't the man of the house." Leah commented sarcastically, "Oh hi Nessie. I didn't expect to see you."

"Are you insinuating that I'm not manly enough to be the man of the house?" I retorted, deciding to let Leah have her fun.

"I didn't insinuate anything, you came right out and admitted it yourself." She said as she walked into the makeshift dining room.

"It smells good, what did the House Elves bring tonight?" I asked, leading Nessie towards the dining room.

"Steaks and mashed potatoes, nothing over the top tonight. Hi Nessie, how are you doing? Did you learn any new tricks?" Seth asked.

"I've been doing well. I did actually, watch." She pulled out her wand, and pointed it at me, saying "Expelliarmus."

The fork full of mashed potatoes I had just picked up flew out of my hands and landed behind me with a slight squishing sound.

"Accio fork." Nessie said.

The fork rose from the ground and flew across the room into Nessie's hand.

"Impressive." Seth told her.

Nessie blushed slightly, realizing that she had been showing off a bit, and thanked him.

"I know I might just be a big dog, but I do like to try and be civilized while I'm eating..." I hinted at Nessie.

"Oh, sorry." Nessie handed me the fork.

"So Nessie, what brought you here?" Leah asked.

"Mom, Dad, and I went to tell Jake that Harry wanted him to be at a club meeting on Friday, because we need a professor there to oversee things. Jake asked if we wanted to come and see you guys, I said yes, but my parents had to go tell Harry and Ron that Jake had said yes."

"Ah. What kind of meeting is this?" Leah asked me.

"Apparently Harry is doing some extra-curricular training for his fight against Voldemort, and he opened it to everyone at school that wants to learn how to defend themselves. Half the reason I'm going is that I want to see some impressive magic." I admitted, grinning.

There was silence for a few minutes as we ate our dinner.

"Jake, can you pass me a piece of steak?" Nessie asked.

I was surprised, "I thought you didn't like human food?" I asked.

"Not really," she admitted, "But, I'm going to be here for six more years after this. I figured I'd at least try to acquire a taste for it so I don't stand out so much."

"That's true." I said, picking out the rarest piece of steak I could find and putting it on her plate.

After Nessie took a few bites I asked, "How is it?"

"I think it's overcooked." She said, "It tastes too dry."

I laughed, "They barely waved the cow over a candle before they put that on the plate Nessie."

"I guess this will be harder than I thought." She said, somewhat demoralized.

"When your done, why don't we go out and find a nice elk? That way you don't go hungry."

"Sure." Nessie said immediately, trying to hide her enthusiasm. She always liked hunting with me when I was in wolf form.

As Nessie finished her steak, Embry walked in the door.

"Oh, hi Nessie. Didn't expect to see you here." After a second pause, he added, "Doesn't look like you're enjoying that steak too much?"

"No, but I'm trying to get used to it as best I can. So I can blend in better."

Embry nodded in understanding and turned, "Seth, your turn to head out for patrol."

Seth stood up, "Okay then. See you guys later."

Embry at down at the table, grabbed a plate for himself, and started eating. After a few minutes, Nessie pushed her plate forward slightly and stood up.

"Okay, let's get some real food. That steak was terrible, how can you guys eat so much of it?"

I just laughed as we walked out the front door of the shack. We walked at a leisurely pace towards the woods, and when we reached them, I ducked behind a tree and phased.

_'Hey Jake. I forgot you and Nessie were going for a run.' _Seth's voice popped into my mind, though it seemed slightly labored.

_'Doing okay kid?'_

_'I'm fine, I just need to remember not to run full tilt right after eating a meal.'_ I winced at the thought.

_'And I'm not a kid' _he added, _'I'm seventeen years old'_

_'Bah, you young'uns always trying to act older than you are.'_

I heard Seth's laughter, and joined in as I padded over to Nessie.

Nessie put her hand on my side, and I saw images of us racing, and us stopping at a clearing that we had been to on a previous trip. I grinned at her in agreement, and on her mark, we raced off into the forest.

I was a fair bit faster than her, but I kept my pace low so the race remained fairly even. As we neared the clearing, I sped up, as did Nessie, and we passed the treeline at the exact same time.

Nessie and I laughed as she walked over to a tree to sit down. I followed her, and laid down next to her, just enjoying spending some extra time with her.

As I laid there, feeling quite content, I sense Seth's emotions wandering, _'What's up?' _I asked him.

_'Nothing.'_ he said quickly.

_'Seth, it's impossible to hide anything in the wolf mind. Believe me I tried.'_

Seth mentally sighed, _'I'm sorta jealous I guess,'_ he said, resigned.

I was confused, _'Of what?'_

_'Of what you, and Quil, and Sam, and Paul have. When I turned into a wolf,that was pretty much it. I all but stopped going to school, I stopped hanging out with my friends who weren't in the pack. My life was basically patrolling, eating, and sleeping. There are some nice things about it, meeting the Cullens, all the extra abilities, they're great, but sometimes it still feels like all I do is eat, sleep, and patrol.'_

I immediately understood what Seth was talking about. Imprinting. Though, this was a side of Seth I had never seen before. Seth, the I'm everybody's friend, happy go-lucky kid of the Pack. He must be much better at hiding things than I had ever thought.

_'Looking at you, Sam, Quil, and Paul, you still do all the stuff the rest of the Pack does, but you have a purpose. I know I'm protecting the tribe and all that, but I want something more. I've found myself thinking, more and more, of what it would be like to find my imprint. I know Taha Aki went through two wives, before finding his imprint, but that seems like such a long time.'_

_'You can't force it Seth.'_ I told him, _'I tried that with Bella, and all it did was make me, and her miserable.'_

_'I know that. I just sorta wish I knew what I was waiting for.'_

_'Believe me, you'll know when it happens.'_ I told him.

I decided to try and put it into language he'd understand. I doubted that the old "gravity shifts" explanation would be helpful.

_'Do you remember that girl you had a crush on right around when you first phased?'_

_'Of course. You guys gave me all sorts of crap for thinking about her all the time.'_

_'Well imagine what you felt about her, but about a hundred times stronger. Being willing to do anything to make her happy, and being content just to be near her. That's what imprinting is like. I love Nessie like a sister, so what I'm feeling is different from what the others feel, but it's the same basic thing.'_

I looked at Nessie, who was still sitting against the tree, relaxed, and let my emotions run free. After laying there, feeling fully contented for a few minutes, I shook myself from my reverie. _'Have a better idea of what it's like now?'_

Seth's thoughts were muddled for a moment, but then he responded, _'Yeah, thanks. At least I have an idea of what I'm waiting for now. Thank you Jacob.'_

_'It's no problem at all Seth. If you ever need any help, just let me know.'_

_'I will.' _He said, _'Oh, and Jake, could you try not to let Leah find out about this? She'd never let me live it down.'_

I laughed lightly, _'No, she wouldn't.'_

Seth returned to patrolling, and a few minutes later, Nessie stood up.

"Ready to go hunting?" She asked me.

I nodded, and followed her as she raced towards the edge of the forest where we normally hunted. She quickly picked up the scent of an elk, and sprinted towards the source. She pounced gracefully on it only a moment after it came into view. I waited nearby, to make sure nothing else came along and surprised Nessie, even if it wasn't likely to happen.

When she had finished, she came back over to me, "If only human food tasted that good." She said.

I barked a laugh as we began to race back through the forest towards the Shrieking Shack. Once we reached the edge of the forest, I went behind a tree, phased, and put my clothing back on. Nessie and I walked back up to the Shack, and after bidding goodbye to Leah and Embry, returned to Hogwarts through the tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow.

I walked with Nessie to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow during class." Nessie said.

"I'll be there." I told her. "Goodnight Nessie." I said, giving her a hug.

"'Night Jake." She said. Then, Nessie gave the password, and entered the Common Room.

I returned to my room, suddenly exhausted from the hunting trip, and fell into my bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.


	12. The Return of Dumbledore's Army

Chapter 12: The Return of Dumbledore's Army

**Bella's Point of View**

I entered the Common Room Friday morning looking forward to the day. All of my classes had been quite interesting recently, and Professor Lupin had told us that we would be facing a boggart today in Defense Against the Dark Arts. To make the day even better, Dumbledore's Army was meeting afterwards, which would give me a chance to see magic that was far different from what we learned in classes.

I walked over to where the rest of my family was standing, and we walked to the Great Hall together. I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione already sitting at the table, and led Edward over to them. Nessie went off to sit with her friends, and the rest of the family sat away from the rest of the people at the table. Besides Edward, Nessie, and I, Alice seemed to be the only one who wasn't wary of the humans at the school.

"Is your family ready for the meeting tonight?" Harry asked, looking down the table at Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.

"Of course, they're still a little wary though. The only human they've ever told this much about themselves is me, so they aren't used to doing it." I replied in a low voice.

Harry nodded in understanding.

"Bella, I have something that Professor Black and his friends might be very interested in." Hermione said, "I don't want to their hopes up though, so please don't let them know what it is. I think I can have a rough prototype of it ready by tonight though."

"What is it?" I asked her.

"I discovered a few old spells in my research into magic that could harm vampires. Since the only books on the subject are hundreds of years old, it makes sense that I'd stumble across a few forgotten spells."

As she was speaking, the bell rang, "I don't have time to finish explaining. I have to go to the library to find the last bit of information I need."

Shaking my head as Hermione rushed out, I looked to Edward, who had a slight grin on his face. "I'll tell you during the next class." He told me, walking off to his first class.

Alice danced over to me, and we made our way to Divination. Ever since Alice had made all the predictions during Trelawney's class, she hadn't bothered us, so we used the time to discuss our upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts class. One of the many advantages of being a vampire, was being able to hold a conversation so quietly that no one ever noticed.

"Professor Lupin said that boggarts become whatever the person's worst fear is," Alice mused, "I'll be rather interested to see what it comes up with for us."

"Why do you say that?"

"I can imagine what most people would be afraid of. I wouldn't be surprised to see it turn into a gigantic spider, or a ghost, or a murderer, or something else of the sort, but can you honestly say that you're afraid of spiders or some human with a gun Bella?"

I thought for a moment, "No, I can't. The only thing that I can think of that I'm really afraid of is the Volturi trying to attack us again, which with recent events involving Voldemort, seems somewhat likely." I added morosely.

"I have to agree. I can't think of anything worse than you, or Edward, or anyone in the family being killed."

"Maybe the boggart will become one of our dead bodies?" I offered.

"But do you really think Professor Lupin would let us face one if it had to potential to become something so disturbing to a person?"

"I'm not sure. Why can't you see what its going to become?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe because it hasn't decided what its going to become for each person, because it doesn't know that people are going to be coming after it. Or maybe it's just because I can't see boggarts for the same reason I can't see Nessie or the wolves."

Nodding in agreement, I took a cursory look at Alice's tea leaves. "Looks like your leaves say that you're going to die. Again. Maybe it's an omen that the Boggart will show you being dead?"

Alice laughed, "Or maybe the leaves are just telling me what I already am."

I joined her in laughing, until Professor Trelawney looked over at the two of us in disapproval. We returned to quiet conversation for the remainder of the period.

After Divination had ended, Harry, Ron, Alice, and I started walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Have either of you faced a boggart before?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, Lupin made us do it back in third year. I still remember it turning into Snape for Neville." Ron said, smiling at the memory.

"So, can it only turn into living things?" I asked.

"No, it can turn into anything. It turned into the moon for Professor Lupin for example." Harry replied.

I nodded, again, finding myself wondering what it would turn into when I faced it.

We met up with the rest of the Cullen family, and entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

I sat down next to Edward, and remembering the conversation with Hermione that I'd had this morning asked, "So, did you pick up what she was working on?"

"Her thoughts were moving incredibly quickly, but I got the idea." Edward replied, "She has found a few spells that she hopes to modify that will enable non-magical people to use basic magic. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I'm sure she will explain in full after the meeting tonight."

I started grinning, "Can you imagine Jake, or even better, Seth, being able to do magic?"

Edward chuckled, "Only too well."

At that, Professor Lupin entered the room, walking past the large cabinet to the right of hid desk, "Good morning class, how are you all today?"

Being beyond the age of chorusing a reply, the majority of the class just muttered responses.

Lupin seemed to find the response acceptable and continued, "As you know, you will all be facing a boggart today. Hopefully you are all up to snuff on the Riddikulus spell. In any case, when I call your name, please come to the front of the class, and be quick about it. The faster the boggart has to adapt to new people, the easier it will be to handle."

"Let's go in reverse alphabetical order today... Mister Weasly, you're first."

Ron groaned, and walked slowly to the front of the room.

"Okay Ron. On three I will open up the cabinet, and the boggart will come out. Use the spell as quickly as you can. One, two, three."

Professor Lupin ripped the door of the cabinet open, and a gigantic spider came surging out of it. Ron seemed to be frozen for a moment, but quickly pointed his wand at it and said ,"Riddikulus."

When he did, the spider's leg's disappeared, and it began to flop helplessly on the floor.

"Good," said Professor Lupin, "Zacahrias Smith, you're next."

This continued until Professor Lupin reached the letter C, though oddly, he skipped Harry. By that time, we had seen the boggart become a second giant spider, a Dementor, and oddly,a set of potted plants that came alive if you got too close.

Apparently, Professor Lupin ad decided to mix up the order for us, because the next name that he called was "Edward Cullen."

Edward approached the front of the room as the previous student was retreating. The boggart turned to Edward, and after a brief second, I saw Edward standing in front of two dead bodies. It took me a moment to realize that one of the bodies was mine, the other was Renesmee's.

Edward's face immediately fell into a look of absolute devastation. It pained me to watch him, imaginng, what he must have been going through. After about ten seconds of standing perfectly still, he seemed to remember where he was and what was going on.

He pointed his wand at the bodies and said, "Riddikulus." But there was no strength behind the words, and nothing happened.

He tried again, and again nothing happened. After two more tries, Professor Lupin stepped in between Edward and the boggart, and it transformed into a white orb surrounded by what looked like fog. I assumed that it was the moon.

He shoved it back into the cabinet and said, "I think that is enough for today, class is dismissed."

Edward began walking back to the table he and I had been sitting at. His face was completely blank.

"Edward, it wasn't real. I'm right here, and Nessie is fine too."

"Bella. I went through the pain of losing you once, and you know what I was driven to do. I just re-experienced it, except that this time, I actually got to see your body, lifeless. The addition of Renesmee just made it worse. Despite the fact that I knew that it could not be true, the wounds that it opened are very deep. I will not lose you again It would destroy me." He added strongly.

By this time, the rest of the class had filed out. Professor Lupin walked over to us, "Edward, Bella. If you would like, I can have you excused from the rest of your classes for today. I didn't think that the boggart would produce something so disturbing for you. It generally manifests itself as a foolish sort of phobia." He admitted.

Edward shook his head, "Thank you Professor, but that will not be necessarry. I too, did not expect the boggart to become something so terrible, or I would have prepared myself for it."

Professor Lupin nodded, and I led Edward out into the hallway.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked.

"Yes. I just pray that I will never have to view that scene again. We should be getting to our next class."

Edward and I walked to the Charms classroom, and made it through the door just as the bell began to ring.

About ten minutes after class had started, Edward muttered, "Word spreads far too quickly in this castle."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Half of the student body within range of my ability to hear is already trying to figure out why my worst fear is to see you and Nessie dead."

"Well, they know that Nessie is supposed to be your sister, and that I'm supposed to be your girlfriend," I smiled lightly at the thought, "Doesn't that explain it?"

"In some ways, yes, mostly they are wondering why I would fear for your lives at all. Most children and young adults don't think of that sort of thing at all unless it is staring them in the face. Though, a few seem to be wondering why I am so close to Nessie."

"Well, rumors can't hurt us. It's not like they'll figure anything out because of the boggart."

"I can only hope that you're correct."

The rest of class went routinely, and Professor Flitwick announced that we would be tested during the next class. We walked with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of our family to lunch. Edward assured everyone that he was fine, and that he had just been taken off guard by the boggart, which put everyone at ease.

Lunch passed without incident, as did Potions. Both Esme and Jacob had heard about our Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and asked Edward if he was alright, but other than that, Muggle Studies and History of Magical Races also passed normally.

Hermione rushed off to the library immediately after our last class, to finish whatever she had been working on in the morning.

During dinner, Harry explained his plan for the Dumbledore's Army meeting.

"As you know, Hermione has been doing research, but she hasn't been able to find any spells specifically designed for, what we'll be facing," He said, being careful about letting our secret out accidentally, "But she did find out that most spells do work, with the exception of of the stunning spell, so I'll probably have people work on dueling without the stunning spell. Unless, we get so many new members that we need to do a basic refresher course."

"It will be good for us to work on dueling. Right now, we're more effective without wands than with them. If we can combine our speed and reflexes with magic, we should be much more formidable opponents." Jasper said.

Harry nodded, "After the meeting, I'll make sure Ginny, Luna, and Neville stay behind, so we can explain to them the full situation, and about your family."

"If you feel that you can trust them, then we have no problem telling them about ourselves." Edward said, despite the apparent hesitance of Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie.

"What spells can you use for dueling other than the stunning spell or dark magic?" I asked.

"There's the disarming spell of course, but I doubt that it will be enough. We're probably going to have to resort to odd tactics, like conjuring ropes to tie opponents down."

"It sounds like you only wish to incapacitate your enemies. Don't you think that you may need to use more force?" Jasper asked, in his element discussing battle tactics.

"I want to avoid it if at all possible," Harry admitted, "But I know that it is a likely possibility. There are some basic spells that could inflict some damage, like the Incendio charm."

"Plus, the stunning spell will still work on most of them," Ron pointed out, "Unless Voldemort is forming some sort of army or something."

"We've been through that before. I pray that he doesn't attempt it." Edward said.

"You'll have to fill us in on that after the meeting. There's so much that we need to learn before he attacks. But now, we should get going."

Harry stood up, as did Ron. The rest of us followed suit. Nessie noticed from down the table that we were leaving, and got up to join us as well. We then walked as a group to the Room of Requirement.

When we reached the hallway, Ron said, "Hermione is probably already here. She said that she would meet us here after she put the finishing touches on what she was working on, which knowing her probably didn't take too long."

We paced across the hallway three times to make the door appear, and when we opened it, Hermione was sitting in one of the chairs in the corner waiting for us.

"Oh, hi. I just got here, and wanted to rest a for minute before setting up." She told us.

"Don't worry. I'm probably just going to ask them to do some simple dueling, just to gauge their experience." Harry told her.

"Okay then. Do you know when Professor Black is going to come?" Hermione asked me, "I want to show him what I've spent the last few days working on before the meeting."

"I told him to get here a bit early, so he should be here soon. As long as it doesn't interfere with his sleep, he's pretty prompt." I said, laughing lightly.

We sat around and talked for a few minutes until the door opened and Jake stepped in, followed by professor Lupin.

"Hey guys," He said, "What's up?"

Hermione stood up excitedly, "Professor Black, I have something for you that I think you and your friends might be very interested in. I just need you to test it first."

"Just call me Jake, or Jacob. Professor Black makes me feel all old and official. Now what did you say about wanting me to test something?"

Hermione produced what looked like a wand from her book bag. "Take this. All I want you to do is hold it in front of you, and say 'Lumos,' very clearly."

Jake took the wand, looking slightly perplexed, and said, "Okay, sure. Lumos."

The end of the wand suddenly light up like a flashlight.

"I thought you said that you weren't magical Jake?" Harry asked.

"I'm... not. I don't think." He replied, looking shocked.

"Very clever," Edward said, cupping his hand around his chin, grinning.

"How did you manage to do that Hermione?" Ron asked, seemingly in awe.

"Well, I was looking through all of the old spell books from the Restricted Section of the library, and I came across an older version of the Priori Incantatem spell. It did the same basic thing, in a different way. One, instead of showing the last spells cast, in order, it would show if any spell that the caster requested had been cast by that wand in the past twenty-four hours. And, instead of showing that spell like Priori Incantatem does, it would recast the spell. Obviously, this could be dangerous, so once Priori Incantatem was invented, the older spell fell out of use.

"I was able to combine that spell with a modified version of an eavesdropping spell. The eavesdropping spell listens to the person who is holding the wand. If it hears an incantation, it activates the Priori Incantatem spell to cause the wand to cast the spell, effectively allowing anyone to do magic.

"There are a number of limitations. The most obvious one is that this can only be used for fairly basic spells, and some charms. Advanced things like Memory Modifying Charms or Transfiguration are impossible. The next largest limitation is that the power of the spell is unchangeable, and much weaker than that of the average adult's would be. This is because the person wielding the wand isn't really casting the magic themself, but activating a spell which triggers another to be cast. Meaning they can't put more or less power behind a spell."

"Hermione, that's amazing." Harry said.

"I don't know how you did it, but thanks a lot." Jake told her.

"I also wrote down a list of incantations that I've put into that wand, and what the spells do," She said, handing Jake a piece of parchment. "I tried to be as clear as possible, but if you have any questions about them, just let me know."

"This is really awesome." Jake said, "Any chance that you can get three more, for Embry, Seth, and Leah?" He asked.

"I could only find one spare wand, and even that was a surprise. I'll have to send an order out to Ollivanders for three more. It's probably not the way he's used to conducting business, but business is business, so I doubt that he'll say no."

"Hmm... What's this 'full body bind' do Hermione?" Jake asked.

"Exactly what it says, the victim's feet and hands snap together, and they become completely paralyzed until someone lifts the spell."

Jake's eyes lit up, "Excellent, I'll have to use this on Seth next time he won't stop talking."

Jake spent the next ten minutes asking Hermione about some of the spells that he could use the wand to do, and alternating between devising schemes for pranking his friends, and marvelling at what magic could do.

People began arriving for the meeting, as did Professor Lupin, so Jake went to sit with him to watch the meeting.

Once it seemed like people were done arriving, Harry stepped to the front of the room to address the group, which seemed to be about sixty people ranging from third to seventh years. All of them came from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. Slytherin was conspicuously absent.

"Last year, meetings were held here because of a terrible, Ministry appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor who refused to teach us anything that would be worthwhile in a fight. We did this because we knew that someday, we might need to defend ourselves from Voldemort. That day is coming soon. Despite our current Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor's great ability for teaching, it is always good to practice self defense, and so we will continue to hold meetings of the Dumbledore's Army this year.

"In order to get a feel for how much practice we'll need to do on dueling basics, I want to spend today doing just that dueling. Find yourself a partner who is preferably in your year, and find yourself a clear space. The only rules are that no stunners, or potentially dangerous spells are used."

Edward immediately walked over to me. "We might as well get in some practice as well. Even if it is only practice at human speeds."

We found ourselves an open spot, and waited for Harry to tell us to begin. As soon as he gave the signal, the room was filled with flying spells and shouted incantations. The third year students seemed to rely mainly on Disarming spells, while the older students were far more creative. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one student douse another in water to weigh down his robes, making him an easier target to hit.

Edward and I sent Disarming spells back and forth at each other, working mainly on dodging and casting simultaneously. Harry was walking around to each pair, looking at their skills and offering suggestions. When he got to us, he nodded and continued on to the next pair.

After about half an hour of continued dueling, Edward said to me, "Do you remember the strange way your shield spell worked in Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier this year?"

"Yes, why?"

"I have an idea I want to test."

Edward called Emmett over, and said, "Do me a favor. Go stand over by Bella, and when I tell you to, try to cast a Disarming spell through her shield at me."

"Sure," Emmett said.

"Okay Bella, cast a shield spell." Edward instructed.

After I did so, Edward said, "Okay, Emmett, cast the spell."

Emmett immediately cast the spell at Edward, but it hit my shield and dissipated.

"Okay, now Bella, extend your mental shield around Emmett."

"Okay, done." I said.

"Try again now Emmett."

Emmett fired another spell, and this time, it went right through the shield and hit Edward square in the chest, sending his wand flying. My shield spell remained completely intact.

"Exactly as I thought," Edward said, retrieving his wand, "Thank you for the help Emmett."

"Anytime bro," Emmett replied, as he returned to his duel with Jasper.

After a few more minutes, Harry called everyone to stop duelling.

"Okay, it looks like most of us at least have the basics of duelling down, which is good. That's all I wanted to do this week. Next week, I hope we can work on some spells that might come in handy in a duel. Once we learn those, then we can focus on real duelling tactics."

The group made noises of affirmation, and began to disperse. A number of them went up to Harry and thanked him for keeping the group going. Edward and I hung back with the rest of our family, waiting for everyone to leave. I noticed that a Ravenclaw with bleach blonde hair, and two Gryffindors, including Ron's sister doing the same.

Once everyone else had left, we walked over to Harry, and took seats around the table in the corner of the room that Jake and professor Lupin were sitting in.

Ron's sister cut right to the chase, "So Harry, why did you want to talk to us after the meeting?"

"First, I think introductions are in order. Bella, Edward, Nessie, Alice, Jasper, Emmet, Rosalie; Luna, Ginny, and Neville." He said, pointing each one of us out as he said our name.

After the obligatory 'nice to meet you's,' Harry dove straight into the problem.

"The reason I wanted to talk to you, is that we've found something out that is going to make the fight against Voldemort much more difficult. If he hasn't already, he is going to become a vampire, and soon."

"What? How?" Ginny asked.

"Do you remember what Professor Black was teaching us about the Volturi at the beginning of the year? It wasn't a myth, and Voldemort is teaming up with them. I guess that he thinks becoming a vampire will get him the immortality that he wants."

"How are we going to be able to fight against him then, if vampires are immortal?" Neville asked.

"Luckily, we have some people," Harry gestured towards us, "On our side, who know everything there is to know about vampires, which should allow us to prepare for fighting him."

"I thought vampires were reclusive creatures. How have you been able to study them so closely without endangering yourselves?" Luna asked in a far off sounding voice.

"Because," Edward answered for us, "We are vampires."

Immediately, Neville sunk backwards slightly into the chair he was sitting, Ginny stood up, seeming to be bracing herself, and Luna's already abnormally large eyes seemed to widen.

"That does explain your pale skin." Luna commented.

"Harry, you knew this? Why do you trust them? You know that vampires are dark creatures." Ginny said.

"If you'll let us explain, it might help you understand." Edward told her.

Ginny seemed as if she were about to respond, but didn't, instead she sat back down.

"Thank you," Edward said. "The most important thing you should know about us is that we aren't like other vampires, we don't drink human blood. We're 'vegetarians' if you will. We only prey on animals for what we need..."

We spent the next forty-five minutes recounting all the basic facts about vampires, such as the reflexes, speed, strength, and abilities, as well as telling about our personal histories. Harry and Ron listened as intently as Ginny, Neville, and Luna, because they hadn't heard the story in full, before either.

Once we had finished explaining, we were peppered with questions.

"So you faced the Volturi before?" Neville asked.

"Yes, even though it didn't actually come to a fight." I admitted.

"Do you think we have a chance against Voldemort if they attack with him?" Ginny added.

"With Bella's ability to render their two most effective weapons useless, I think we'll have a very good chance. The Volturi is unaccustomed to fighting a fair fight." Edward said.

"But we still don't know when Voldemort is going to attack, or even if the Volturi will be with him." Luna said, staring at the ceiling. "All we can do is make sure we're ready for anything that may happen."

"Exactly," Harry said, "I wanted you all to know, since you were all with me at the Department of Mysteries last year, and because you deserve to know what we're up against. But still, we're preparing for something that might not come for a year or more, so I don't think there is any need to tell the rest of the DA about Voldemort. Plus, I don't think the Cullens would appreciate their secret being outed."

"No, we wouldn't." Edward agreed.

"Neither would the Pack." Jake chimed in.

"I don't blame you guys." Neville said, "I'm still a bit scared that I've been sleeping in the same dorm as three vampires. Even though you don't really sleep."

"I'm glad that you're all taking this much better than Ron and I did." Harry said.

"Harry, we trusted you enough to follow you to the Department of Mysteries, how can we not trust people that you're willing to trust too?" Luna asked.

"Thanks Luna. It's getting late, so we should probably be getting back to our Common Rooms. I don't want to think about what Filch might do if he caught us out."

"I could escort you to your Common Room." Jake offered. "Filch can't yell at you with me there."

"And I can walk with Luna." Professor Lupin said.

"Thanks, that would be great." Harry said.

With that, we bade Luna and Professor Lupin goodbye, and walked to the Common Room with Jake, Harry, Ginny, and Neville.


	13. Imprints

Chapter 13: Imprints

**Bella's Point of View**

The week passed surprisingly quickly, and we found ourselves back in the Room of Requirement with the Dumbledore's Army. After the last meeting, Harry had gotten a pretty good idea of where we all stood in terms of skills, so he broke us into groups. Ron was in charge of teaching the younger, and less experienced members, Hermione took the intermediate group, and Harry worked with the most skilled. Almost exclusively sixth and seventh years who had been members last year.

Nessie was working with Ron's group while the rest of us were working with Harry.

"You all did very well with the dueling last week, so I don't think there's any need to work more on that for the moment. Instead, I want to work on the Patronus charm. The Ministry's control over the dementors is weakening, and it's important that everyone be prepared for the worst.

"The incantation for the spell is 'Expecto Patronum.'" Harry continued, "But the incantation isn't enough alone. Dementors feed off of happy emotions, so in order to create a patronus, you need to be thinking of a particularly happy thought while casting the spell. Think of the happiest thing that you can, and then say the incantation."

We each found a part of the room where we would have some space to cast the spell, and began attempting to cast the spell. I ran through my memories, trying to decide the best one to use for the spell. My initial thought was when Edward and I were in the meadow, and he admitted to me that he was a vampire.

I raised my wand and said the incantation, and a silvery mist exited the tip of my wand, but it dissipated quickly. The memory from my days as a human was too hazy to be effective.

Instead, my thoughts settled on the moments immediately after the Volturi left the clearing near Forks, when I realized that we wouldn't have to fight that day. I decided that if I had any happy memories, that one was the happiest.

I focused my mind on that memory, lifted my wand and said "Expecto Patronum!"

Immediately, a silver mist shot out of my wand and formed into a wolf that reminded me of Leah or Embry with its silvery gray color. Everyone in the room, including the people in Ron and Hermione's groups stopped and watched as the patronus slowly padded over to me.

The wolf stopped beside me and stood for a moment. It then nuzzled its nose into my side and disappeared.

There were a few scattered instances of applause, and a few shouts of congratulations, and then everybody returned to their work.

Harry walked over to me and said, "Performing the patronus charm on the second try is impressive. Even most full grown witches and wizards can't do it. You must have been think one very happy thought." he added, smiling.

"It was the happiest I could think of." I replied.

"I didn't think anyone would get this far in one day, so I don't have anything else planned. I want to go help the others, so why don't you go work with Hermione, or you can relax and talk with Professor Lupin and Professor Black."

"I think I'll do that." I told him, as I began to walk over to Jake and Professor Lupin.

"What memory did you use?" I heard Edward ask quietly from across the room.

I opened my mind and thought back '_Right after the Volturi _left, and I knew that we wouldn't need to fight.'

"That was my first choice, but it didn't work." Edward replied, sounding frustrated.

'_Just keep trying other memories. That one was my second. My first thought was when we in the meadow but the memory was too hazy.'_

I saw Edward shake his head slightly, and it looked as if he was attempting to concentrate, so I closed my mind to him again.

I arrived on the side of the room where Jake and Professor Lupin were sitting.

"Very impressive Bella," Professor Lupin complimented me, "I've never seen anyone anyone conjure a patronus so quickly."

"Is there any particular reason that you decided to make it a wolf?" Jake asked me.

"I didn't decide what it was, it just turned into a wolf on its own." I told him.

"A person doesn't choose their patronus," Lupin said, "The patronus' form normally shows something about the person's personality or past, or indicates something that had a profound effect on their life. For example, Harry's patronus is a stag, and his father, James, was an animagus who could turn into a stag."

"I guess I've had a 'profound' effect on your life then, eh Bella?" Jake said with a half joking, half smug grin.

"I'm not sure. It was smaller than you, and it was silver like Leah. I guess you just aren't as important to me as her." I joked.

"I thought we had something special Bella." Jake said in a tone of mock hurt. His face straightened quickly however, "Speaking of the others, has Hermione said anything about being able to get wands for them? Seth has been trying to steal mine every time I go down to the house, and Embry and Leah are wouldn't mind one either."

"I'm not sure. Thinking about it though, the other wolves haven't met Harry, Hermione, and Ron, have they?"

"No they haven't. There aren't any classes tomorrow, so why don't you all come to the Shrieking Shack for lunch? It'd be nice to finally get everyone who's in on the secret together. You're invited too of course Remus."

"I would love to come." Remus told Jake.

"I'm sure everyone else will like the idea. I'll tell Carlisle and Esme too, I bet they'd love to have some time away from the act as well."

"I'd like to talk to Carlisle as well." Professor Lupin said, "I've been meaning to ask him how his research is coming along, but I haven't had a chance to yet."

There was a short pause in the conversation, so I decided to fill it. "So Jake, how did the others react to the wand Hermione gave you?"

"Seth's reaction was priceless." Jake said, laughing lightly, "He nearly passed out when I used that disarming spell to make his fork shoot out of his hand. Once I convinced him that I wasn't actually able to do magic, and that is was just the wand, he all but started begging for one. It would have been almost pathetic if it wasn't so comical."

I imagined Seth on his knees begging Jake for the a wand, and I had to admit that the thought was comical. I was pretty sure that Jake was exaggerating just a bit though.

"Embry and Leah were a bit less obvious about it, but I could tell that they want one too. Embry kept asking me about the different things it could do, and Leah spent the whole time making fun of me. She may have mellowed out a bit in the past few years, but she can still be as sarcastic as she ever was when she wants to be."

I heard a bit of a commotion over from Harry's group and turned to see a gigantic silver bear standing next to Emmett, who seemed very proud.

Harry walked over to Emmett, and talked with him for a moment before returning to helping the others. Emmett sauntered over to us and sat down.

"Nice work with the charm Emmett." Professor Lupin told him.

"It makes sense that your patronus would be a bear." Jake told him. "You might as well be one yourself sometimes."

Emmett laughed, "I'm just glad I was able to do the charm at all. It looks like Edward is having some trouble doing it though. He always has been a depressed sort of person."

Just as Emmett finished speaking, there was more commotion, I turned and saw Edward watching a silvery fox pacing circles in front of him.

"Looks like Edward got it. A fox suits him. He is more of a thinker and planner isn't he?" Jake said.

The fox disappeared, and Edward cast the spell again, apparently to make sure he could duplicate it, and then walked over towards us.

"Nice job."I said as he sat down.

"Thank you. I'm surprised that it took me so long to figure out what memory to use. It is quite obvious now that I think about it."

"What memory did you use?"

"I thought of when I saw you in Italy and realized that you were not, in fact, dead." He paused for a moment before saying, "But now, for less morbid thoughts, I overheard that we are going to spend tomorrow at the Shrieking Shack?"

"If you want to come, then you're welcome to." Jake told him.

"Sure." Edward said, "If anything, it will let us get everyone up to date on what is going on with Voldemort. Trying to keep everyone informed is difficult with this charade."

We sat and chatted idly for a little while while the rest of the group practiced. Luna, Neville, Ginny, and two other students who I didn't know were able to successfully produce a patronus before Harry told everyone to call it a night.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked over, as we stood up to get ready to leave.

"You're really doing well teaching, you guys." Jake said.

"Thanks. It's mostly the students, they're all trying really hard." Harry said.

"I was talking with these guys while you were busy," Jake began, gesturing towards all of us, "And we were thinking that it'd be a cool idea to get together tomorrow. Do you guys want to come to the Shrieking Shack for lunch tomorrow? House elves deliver food for all our meals, and it would give you a chance to meet Leah, Seth, and Embry."

"That sounds like a great idea." Ron said.

"Would you mind if we invited Luna, Neville, and Ginny too?" Harry asked.

"Not at all. The more, the merrier."

"What time do you want us to show up?"

"The elves normally bring food around noon, so a bit before then would be perfect."

"We'll come at around eleven thirty then."

With our plans settled, we bade goodnight to Jake and Professor Lupin, and returned to the Common Room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day, we met up with Carlisle, Esme, Professor Lupin, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Ron in the Entrance Hall at eleven o' clock. From there we made our way across the grounds to the Whomping Willow. Harry picked a branch up off the ground, and poked a knot in the tree, causing it to go still.

We reached the tunnel beneath the tree safely, and began walking through it. Within a few moments, we had reached the end of the tunnel. Edward, who was at the front of our group, knocked on the trapdoor, and a few moments later it was opened.

"Hey guys," Jake greeted us, smiling.

"Hi Jake." I said as I stepped into the room. "Where are the others?"

"Leah wanted to make sure that nothing slipped past us, so she recruited Embry and Seth to do a patrol a bit farther out than usual. They left me as your welcoming committee. They should be back in a few minutes. I have to admit, she is taking this job a bit more seriously than I would have expected." Jake added.

"Wow, this place is a lot nicer than it was the last time we were here." I heard Ron say from behind me.

"The House Elves have done a really good job cleaning it up." Harry said.

"You guys have been here before?" Jake asked.

"Three years ago." Hermione replied, "Though it was under much different circumstances."

Harry seemed to go a bit quiet at the mention of their previous visit to the Shack, so Jake tried to change the subject.

"Well anyway, the others should be back anytime now. Once they do get back, we can eat."

We sat down the in small living room. The room seemed like someone had crammed as many chairs as possible into it, because it was very crowded. I noticed that with everyone sitting, there were three extra chairs, presumable for Leah, Embry, and Seth. How the House Elves had heard of our plans, I didn't know, but they were very good at their job.

Rosalie, Nessie, Alice, Emmett, Ron, and Hermione seemed deep in conversation already, as did Harry, Jasper, Edward, Esme and Alice, I decided to listen in on the conversation between Jake, Carlisle, and Professor Lupin.

"Professor Snape has been surprisingly helpful," Carlisle said, "At the rate that we are progressing, I may have a potion ready for you by Christmas."

"I assume Snape has been so helpful because he is getting tired of brewing Wolfsbane for me on a monthly basis," Professor Lupin said sarcastically, "But that is wonderful news. I'm amazed that you've been able to do so much in such a short time."

"Creating a magical remedy for something that nobody's been able to cure for thousands of years? That's normal for Carlisle, he's like super-doctor." Jake laughed.

"I wouldn't go that far, but I do try my best." Carlisle said.

As they were laughing, I heard the front door of the Shack open. A few seconds later, Leah, Seth, and Embry walked into the room. They stopped in the doorway after seeing that we were already there.

Jake jumped up, "Hey guys. I guess it's time for introductions." He turned to the group from Hogwarts, "This is Seth, Leah, and Embry," he said indicating each person as he said their name. "This is Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Professor Lupin."

There was a short chorus of "nice to meet you's," and then a slightly awkward silence.

Jake quickly filled it by saying, "Why don't we go eat?"

We moved into the Shack's small dining room, which was crowded with just enough chairs to fit us all around the table. We all sat down, and after a few moments four house elves appeared carrying large trays of food. One asked my family if they could get us anything, but we politely declined.

The next few minutes were spent in relative silence except for the sound of silverware on the plates. I noticed with some humor that the both the Pack, and Ron used the same method of eating; shovel as much food into your mouth as fast as possible.

After a few minutes, conversation started to pick up. Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were talking with Leah, who seemed to be warming up to them, and Harry, Ron, and Professor Lupin were talking with Embry.

Luna was talking with Seth, who seemed more jovial and animated than usual, which I would have thought was impossible.

Edward gave me a small nudge, "Have you noticed Seth?" he whispered.

"Yeah. He seems even happier than usual."

"Does the way he's talking with Luna remind you of anyone?"

I thought for a moment before it dawned on me, "He didn't, did he?"

"It really was quite interesting to hear his train of thought while it happened. It was like a car going from one hundred to zero in a millisecond, everything other thought just turned off. I wonder what Leah will say when she finds out that Seth has finally fallen prey to imprinting?"

"We'll have to break it to her gently." I said, "I just hoped she doesn't figure it out before we get the chance."

Edward nodded and returned to his conversation with Carlisle. I decided I would try to jump into one as well. It seemed that everyone, except Seth and Luna, were now part of the same conversation, so I joined that one.

"So, Professor Lupin, I hear that you might be joining our Pack sometime soon?" Embry joked.

"Please, just call me Remus. That goes for everyone by the way, as long as we're not in class. As for joining your Pack, Carlisle is working on something that will allow me to change form at will, like you. But with Jake being the leader, I think I'd rather try my luck elsewhere." He grinned.

"I'm a great leader," Jake said in a tone of mock hurt, "Tell him guys."

"Well, you are only the Alpha because of blood. And I'm pretty sure that it's been proven that hereditary rule isn't the best idea. So, I'm going to have to go with no." Leah responded.

"Plus, the only reason you're Alpha now is because you weren't good at being a subordinate. Sam practically threw you out of the other pack." Embry added.

"Okay, now you guys are just blatantly lying." Jake said.

"Think whatever you want to, oh might Alpha." Leah told him, laughing.

"Well, using that as proof that you are all, in fact, insane, I think I'll go with my earlier decision of not joining in." Remus said.

"We never expected you to, to be honest." Jake said, "We're just joking around."

Remus nodded, "To be honest myself, I was thinking about asking you if you would mind an extra member, assuming Carlisle's potion worked. I know that I wouldn't be helpful with your patrolling and whatever you do back home, but I thought it would be nice to be connected to a group rather than alone."

"In that case, assuming Carlisle can make the potion, we'd be happy to have you. Right guys?"

"Of course." Embry said.

"Why not?" Leah agreed.

Jake looked to Seth. "Right Seth?"

Seth didn't seem to hear Jake, and continued talking with Luna.

"Seth?"

Seth still failed to react.

"Seth...? Wait a minute. Oh no." Jake said, apparently beginning to figure out what had happened.

Luna poked Seth lightly, "I believe that Professor Black is trying to talk to you."

Seth turned, "Oh. Whats up?"

Jake was silent for a moment, before resolving on a course of action, "Seth. Did you imprint?"

While half the room was trying to figure out what that meant, the other half was waiting for the answer.

"Yes, I did." Seth said.

Leah looked furious, "Great, just what we need, another freaking imprint slave."

Jake sighed, "Well, this is going to be fun to explain."

* * *

**A/N:** First, I've gotten a bit of feedback that people like Author's Notes, so I'll probably be including them more. I'll delete them from my story once it's complete though, as they won't really have any use once it is.

Second, I'm trying something a bit different with this chapter, mainly in that I'm trying to add a bit more humor. I enjoy humor in stories, and there hasn't been a huge amount of it in this story, so I figured that throwing some extra in wouldn't be too bad. Some feedback on whether you liked it, disliked it, or didn't even notice it / how to improve it would be nice.

Third, I don't much the title that I have for this story right now, so I am going to be changing it. If you remember, I asked for suggestions as few chapters ago, and I received a handful. The new title for the story will be "Another Myth to Live Through." I'll be changing the title when I upload the next chapter, this is just a heads up. (Credit goes to AnnabethChase5450 for the title idea).

Just because it bears repeating, because it is important, **I am going to change the story's title to "****Another Myth to Live Through."**

And finally, an update on my overall plans for the story. Like I stated two chapters ago, I'm still estimating about 20 to 25 chapters total. I have the story planned out, know the general idea of each of the remaining chapters, and know how the story is going to end. I plan for this story to have a definitive ending, and for there to be no need for a sequel to tie up loose strings. That said, I do have an idea for another story that could stand alone but that would occur in the same 'universe' and timeline as this one. I know it is a tad early to be asking this question, but would any of the readers be interested if I wrote another story that takes place in the crossover 'universe' I have made?


	14. Invitations and Arguments

Chapter 14: Invitations and Arguments

**Jake's Point of View**

I sighed, "Well, this is going to be fun to explain."

After a moment of awkward silence, Harry asked, "Jake, what is imprinting?"

I shook my head lightly, "Okay, just listen to the whole explanation before you freak out too much, please?"

There wasn't any response, so I decided to push on. "We're not quite sure why, but sometimes, after some becomes a wolf, when they see someone, they imprint on that person. It could be anyone, someone they've never met, one of their best friends, anyone. The only restriction that we know of is that it only happens when you see that person for the first time after becoming a wolf.

"It's hard to describe what it's like, but it's like gravity shifts. Everything that was important isn't anymore, and the only thing that is important is the imprint. The imprinter's only purpose in life becomes the happiness of the imprint."

"So it's like forced love at first sight?" Ginny asked in a slightly repulsed voice.

"Not necessarily. The person who imprinted becomes whatever the imprint needs them to be. For example, one of the members of the Pack back in La Push imprinted on a girl named Claire when she was two."

Everyone's faces took on a look of disgust at that, but I kept explaining, "He treats her like a little sister, babysitting for her, bringing her to school, and the like. When she grows up, assuming that she still wants him in her life, he'll become whatever she needs him to become, whether that is a friend, confidant, whatever."

I tried to lighten the mood, "If you want proof, to be honest, the only reason that I'm here in the first place is that I imprinted on Nessie right after she was born. Edward would have torn me to shreds long ago if I even _thought_ anything remotely questionable."

Edward chuckled lightly, "You wouldn't even have a chance to see it coming."

"So, the person who imprinted is just like a really close friend, unless the imprint wants them to be more?" Ron asked.

"Exactly."

Luna turned to Seth, "Most people think that I'm rather strange. Are you sure that you want to imprint on me?"

Seth looked sheepish, "I don't have a choice, and even if I did, I don't think I'd want to say no. I'll be here for as long as you'll have me."

There was a silence that seemed to stretch for a few minutes, "That sounds... Nice."

Seth breathed a sigh of relief, and Embry gave him a subtle pat on the back.

With Luna's announcement that she was fine with what had happened, the tense mood in the room began to relax. Though Leah still looked unhappy with the situation.

"I guess that means we'll be seeing you a bit more often," Embry said to Harry and Ron.

"I guess so." Ron replied.

Harry leaned down, presumably to pick up a piece of silverware that he had dropped, and whispered to Ron.

Ron gave a subtle nod in response. A few minutes later, during a lull in the conversation, he stood up. "Christmas is only a few weeks away. I assume that you were all planning to go back to America for the break?"

"Yes, that was our plan." Carlisle responded.

"Would you all like to come spend Christmas at the Burrow, my house, instead?"

"We couldn't possibly impose. I don't think your parents would want all of us to come." Esme told him.

"I already cleared it with my parents." Ron said, "I explained to them that you're all going to be involved in fighting You-Know-Who, and, understandably, want to meet you. I didn't say anything about you being vampires though. I thought it'd be better if they learned that in person, after they got to know you."

"Well, if it isn't too much trouble for you, I'm sure we'd all be delighted to come." Esme responded on behalf of all of us. "But I still don't think we could impose on your family for the whole time. Maybe, after Christmas, you could come to America with us to celebrate the New Year?"

They all immediately agreed.

"Wonderful." Carlisle said, "This is shaping up to be quite a holiday." He looked at his watch, "It's getting late. We should be returning to the Castle."

I saw Seth's face fall. He turned to Luna, "You can come visit whenever you want to. I'm sure no one else would mind?"

Leah, Embry, and I didn't voice any objections, so Seth nodded, as if to confirm his statement.

"I'll make sure to come by whenever I can." Luna said.

After a spending a few more minutes bidding everyone farewell, Leah, Seth, Embry, and I were the only ones left in the Shack.

Seth spoke first, "You were right Jake. I knew right away when I saw Luna. It seems like everything is finally in perspective..."

"Damn it Seth!" Leah interrupted him, "You shouldn't be acting so happy about it. Some random girl walks in here and takes away your free will, and your happy about it?" She asked, sounding enraged.

"Leah," Seth said soothingly, "It's not like that."

"That's exactly what it is! Tell me, if you had to leave, right now, and go back home to La Push without her, could you?"

Seth was silent for a few moments, "But there's no reason that would happen."

"See. You couldn't do it even if you wanted to, all because some blonde freak walks in here and you look at her."

Seth looked angry, so I decided to step in. "Guys, stop. This isn't going to get us anywhere. Seth, you're not thinking completely clearly because you just imprinted, and that's a pretty big shock. And Leah, I don't understand why you're angry, and it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that it happened, and we have to deal with it. The most important thing is that we keep working together. No matter what, we're still a family.

"I know that the two of you are supposed to be patrolling together, but I think we should mix up the rotation, at least temporarily. I'll run with Leah, and Seth, you can go with Embry. Any objections?"

The room was silent. "In that case, I think it's Leah's and my turn to patrol. We should head out."

I walked out of the front door with Leah following behind me. We walked to the edge of the forest in silence, before phasing.

We ran for a few minutes in relative silence. After giving her a few minutes to cool off, I started asking my questions.

_'Leah, why are you so angry about Seth imprinting? I haven't seen you so mad since the Pack split.'_

_'I'm mad because we don't need anymore imprint slaves. Do you know how annoying it is to have to listen to you guys think about your girlfriends all the time? No offense intended of course." She added acidly._

_'Leah. You weren't this mad when Quil or Paul or I imprinted, why is it different now?_

My mind was suddenly assaulted by a rapid succession of strange, disconnected images. Leah was obviously trying to block me from seeing her thoughts.

_'Leah, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I want to know. I want to help with whatever's eating at you.'_

I could feel Leah debating with herself over what to do. I waited patiently for her to come to a decision.

Leah gave a mental sigh, _'You wanna know why I'm angry Jake? I'm angry because it's my brother.'_

This surprised me a bit. Leah was somewhat protective of Seth, but that had decreased over the past few years. I also didn't understand how that related to her anger.

_'I've always thought the whole imprinting thing was a load of crap anyway.' _She continued, _'Why would anyone want to give up their free will like that? And to see me brother imprint... He's only seventeen, he hasn't even had a chance to really do anything with his life. And now he's stuck being that girl's lapdog for the rest of his life.'_

I began to understand where Leah was coming from. _'Leah, it's not entirely like that. Look at Quil, look at Paul, look at me, we've all imprinted. Sure,we haven't had a chance to go to college, or travel the world, but I think that we've all been pretty happy since we've imprinted. Imprinting does close some doors, I'll admit that, but it opens so many others that you barely notice.'_

_'It isn't fair. Seth could have done all those things before he imprinted. Why did it have to happen now, and why does it have to be a girl who lives on another continent?'_

_'I don't know the answers to those questions, the world works in mysterious ways.' _I hesitated before continuing, _'Seth and I had a conversation about imprinting not too long ago. Maybe, when you think you can talk about it civilly, you should ask him about it. I think that if you two talk it out, you'll understand it better.'_

Leah was silent for a long while. _'I think I'll do that. You know, for someone who never finished high school, you're not too much of an idiot.'_

I grinned to myself, glad to have the Leah we all knew and, to an extent, loved, back.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next week, Nessie and I went for a run in the Forbidden Forest. We stopped in a clearing to relax for a little while before returning tot he castle. Nessie and I sat with our backs against one of the smooth rocks in the clearing, talking about whatever came to mind.

"This Christmas is going to be really fun." Nessie said, "I'm really curious what a magical household is like. Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing the Pack again, it feels like ages since I've seen La Push or Forks. I wonder what they'll think of Luna?"

"She's a unique girl I have to admit. I think she'll fit right in once she gets used to the Pack though."

Nessie responded with a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

She pressed her hand against my arm, and I saw an image of Luna asking Sam if he had encountered any Crumple Horned Snorckacks recently, commenting that she had heard they were quite common in America.

"Crumple Horned Snorkacks?" I asked.

"Luna's been on a hunt for them almost her whole life." Nessie explained, "Almost everyone says that they don't exist, but that doesn't stop her."

"Well, maybe the Pack will have to get used to her instead." I amended my earlier statement.

We both laughed, before returning to a comfortable silence again.

After a few minutes, Nessie spoke again, "I wonder how Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will react to us being vampires?"

"Ginny and Ron seemed accepting enough. I'm sure that they'll be fine with the idea after the initial shock wears off."

"That's my thought too, but I'm still nervous. We've never told anyone our secret before, according to Carlisle, and yet now, it seems like we're telling everyone."

"We don't really have much of a choice. We already know how powerful the Volturi are, and now that they're teaming up with this Voldemort guy, they're going to be even stronger. We need all the help we can get, even if it means telling people about you being vampires, and the Pack's 'furry little problem.'" I finished, laughing.

"Speaking of the Pack, have you told anyone back home about that wand Hermione made for you?"

"No. And I asked, the others not to tell anyone about it either. Hermione promised that she would have three more ready at Christmas, so we decided that we're going to freak everybody out a little bit when we get back?"

"Sounds fun." Nessie said conspiratorially, "What's the plan?"

I grinned, "Well, we're going to start with little stuff. Moving things around when nobody is looking, small stuff like that. Then we'll move up to using that disarming spell to knock stuff out of people's hands, or opening locked doors. We're planning the grand finale for New Year's Eve. We're going to use the body-bind charm on everyone, throw them in Emmett's Jeep, and haul them to the bonfire that way."

"Jake," Nessie said in a fake tone of admonishment, "That's sick and cruel. Imagine what they'll be thinking, stuck in a Jeep's trunk and unable to move. I love the idea."

"Great. You can help if you want. You can actually do magic, so you'll be able to do more complex stuff. Just try not to think about it around Edward, I doubt that he would approve of the our plan."

"No, he probably wouldn't." Nessie agreed. She thought for a moment and added, "Is Remus in on the plan?"

"No. I should probably tell him about it though. Carlisle said that he'd had that potion ready soon, and Remus did say that he might want to join our Pack. Our little prank would be a good way to introduce him to the highly professional dynamic we have."

"So, making bets about everything possible and potentially scarring each other mentally is considered 'professional?' Sounds like you've been out of the work force for too long."

"What can I say? I guess I'm just a free spirit." I looked at my watch, and saw that it was nearly ten o'clock. "It's getting late, we should head back to the Castle."

I ran behind a tree and quickly phased. Then I padded back into the clearing and knelt down next to Nessie, offering her a ride. She debated for a short moment, before climbing onto my back. Once she had firmly gotten her balance, I sped off through the forest.

_'Hey Jake, what's up man?'_ I heard Paul's voice in my head.

_'Nothing much. Just out for a run with Nessie.'_

_'Same here. Minus the Nessie part. It seems like things have been real quiet without you, Embry, Seth, and Leah. When will we be seeing you all?'_

_'We're coming back to celebrate New Year's. And we're bringing a few friends.'_

_'Can they do magic?' Paul asked, excitedly._

_'Yep.'_

_'Sweet, do you think they'll show us any?'_

_'I'm sure you'll get a good show Paul. In fact, I can guarantee it.' _I replied, trying to keep my plan from coming to mind.

_'Awesome. This is shaping up to be an awesome holiday season.'_

_'Yes it is.'_ I thought, _'Yes it is.'_

~*~*~*~

**A/N**: In my never ending quest for improvement, I'm asking for more feedback. What do you guys think about the way I end chapters? Too abrupt? Too drawn out? Just right? And on the idea of chapters, what do you guys think of the length?

Also, for those who are interested, I intend the next three or so chapters to be Christmas or New Years (No, I didn't plan the story to intersect with the real Christmas season, it just happened). After that, the fun, actiony stuff starts.

Reviews, as always, are appreciated, and I do reply to every one that I get when I find the time to do so.


	15. At The Burrow

Chapter 15: At The Burrow

**Jacob's Point of View**

The next two weeks passed quickly. Luna stopped by the Shack every three or four days so she and Seth could get to know each other. I had to admit, that even though she seemed a bit odd, with all of her crazy ideas about Crumple Horned Snorkacks and Nargles, in many ways she seemed wise beyond her years. Seth loved hearing about all of the times she had gone out searching for various creatures. Even though Nessie had told me that none of them were real, I didn't have the heart to tell him after he promised to go along on her next trip with her father.

Finally, classes finished for the year, and the only that that stood between the students and faculty, and the vacation was end of the year feast. At the feast, I received a note telling me to report to Dumbledore's office at noon the next day. I was told to bring Leah, Seth, and Embry as well. Other than that, the evening passed without incident.

At noon, the four of us showed up in front of the statue that guarded Dumbledore's office, and met the Cullens, along with Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hey guys, ready to go?" I asked.

Edward nodded, "Dumbledore said that he would arrange for a portkey. Apparently they're a more efficient method for transporting a group."

I was about to ask what a portkey was, but Seth cut me off, "I thought Luna was going to be coming too?" He asked in a dismayed voice.

Leah rolled her eyes and Edward chuckled lightly, probably at the thoughts going through Seth's mind.

"She lives close to the Burrow," Ron assured him, "She left on the Hogwarts Express this morning. She's coming over for dinner tonight, and she'll probably spend a lot of time at the house. Her father is on an expedition to Germany hunting for Crumple Horned Snorkacks."

"Oh. Good." Seth said, looking relieved.

I gave the password to the statue, and the staircase leading to Dumbledore's office appeared. We ascended the stairs, and I knocked on the door to his office.

"Come in," Dumbledore said from within his office.

I opened the door, and entered, followed by the rest of the group. The room was filled with various magical objects, the uses of which I couldn't even imagine.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, "I see that you are all here. I trust that you will all have a good holiday?"

We all affirmed that we would.

"Good, good. Since there are so many of you, a portkey would be the most convenient method of transportation. You will be visiting the Burrow first, correct?"

"Yes, we'll be going to America after Christmas." Harry said.

Dumbledore nodded and picked up a hula hoop. He pointed his wand at it and muttered a few incantations. The hula hoop glowed a blue color for a short moment before returning to its normal color.

He held it out to us, "Everybody grab hold. The portkey will activate in fifty seconds."

We fanned out into a circle and each put one hand on the hula hoop. We stood in silence for a few moments.

"How does this portkey thing work anyway?" Seth suddenly asked.

Dumbledore shook his head, "I'm afraid that I would be unable to explain the magic involved within the next seven seconds mister Clearwater. Enjoy your holiday, all of you."

Half a second after he had finished speaking, Dumbledore disappeared, and I felt like I had had my legs hooked out from under me and my hand glued to the hula hoop. A second or to later, I landed with a thud on the ground, and by the sounds of it, a few of the others had too.

I looked around, and saw that we were in the middle of a house's grass lawn. The house had seven floors, and looked as if it may collapse any minute. I assumed that it would have done so long ago, if magic had not been holding it up. The cloudy sky cast a shadow over the house and lawn, but they still managed to maintain a quaint, homey feel.

"Ginny! Ron!" I heard a voice exclaim, and I looked up to see a short, plump woman of about fifty standing in the doorway of the house.

"Hi Mum." Ron and Ginny yelled back.

I stood up and brushed myself off, and followed the group walking towards the house.

"Oh it's so wonderful to see you." Mrs. Weasley said, scooping Ron and Ginny into a bone-crushing hug. "It's wonderful to see you too Harry, Hermione."

She turned and looked at the rest of our group. "These must be your friends. I'm Mrs. Weasley. Please come inside."

After we entered the house and exchanged quick introductions, we sat down in the Weasley's living room. It was a bit cramped for eighteen people, but we all fit.

"Ron's told me that you are all from America. Tell me about yourselves, how did you end up at Hogwarts?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

Carlisle took the question, "I'm actually a native of England, and I was invited to Hogwarts when I was a child. Due to extenuating circumstances, I was unable to attend the school. I moved to America and became a doctor. Professor Dumbledore approached me at the beginning of the year and offered me the position of medical assistant to Madam Pomfrey, thinking that my experience in Muggle medicine would be helpful. He offered also offered Esme the job of teaching Muggle Studies. It didn't make sense for us to be teaching at one school, and for our children to be attending elsewhere, so he allowed us to enroll them at Hogwarts."

I picked up after Carlisle had finished speaking, "After Carlisle heard about Voldemort, he suggested to Dumbledore that I come along with Leah, Seth, and Embry here to help provide extra security, which Dumbledore thought was a great idea. He even made me a teacher against my will." I finished with a joke.

We continued telling Mrs. Weasley about ourselves, but not enough to give our secrets away. After we had been talking for about an hour and a half, she stood up. "Well, I'm glad to have finally met you all. Ron has been speaking of you all a fair bit in his letters. I have to start preparing dinner. Arthur will be home in a few hours, and I've invited Remus and the Lovegoods to eat with us tonight. And I told Fred and George that if they didn't take a break from their joke shop to eat with us that they wouldn't be getting any Christmas dinner, so I'm sure that they will be here as well."

"Would you like any help?" Esme asked.

"If you'd like to, help would be great." Mrs. Weasley said. Leading Esme to the kitchen.

"Well, we have a few hours before dinner. Why don't we go play some Quidditch?" Ron asked, "We have extra brooms in the shed."

We followed Ron out of the house, and he led us to a shed where he picked up six brooms and a large red ball. He then led us up a short path to a small field that was surrounded on all sides by trees.

He dropped them at the side of the field, and said, "Perfect. Now that my mum won't be able to hear us, we need to plan. How do you guys want to let my parents in on the secret?"

"They have a right to know, and it would be wrong for us to be staying as guests when they don't know about us, so we should do it tonight." Carlisle said.

"Are you sure that you want to tell them tonight?" Harry asked. "Wouldn't it be better if you waited until they knew you better."

"It would cause more fear I think if they found out that vampires had been living in their house for a week than if we told them immediately." Carlisle responded.

None of us voiced disagreements, so Ron said, "Okay. Luna's father wouldn't care, but he'd wind up publishing a story about you in the Quibbler. No one would believe it, but I don't think you'd want that to happen, right?"

Edward nodded, "We can explain after the Lovegoods leave then?"

"That seems like the best plan." Carlisle agreed.

"Your parents won't mind about us?" I asked, gesturing to Leah, Seth, Embry, and myself.

"Not at all." Ron said, "They know that Remus is a werewolf and they hate people who are prejudiced about it."

"That's good. Now what were you saying about Quidditch?"

Ron grinned, "Well, since we have a few hours before anyone is going to be showing up, I thought we could play a little game. We only have six brooms, eight if you count Harry's and mine, so we would have to take turns, but it could be fun."

"Let's get to it then." Emmett said excitedly.

Harry and Ron ran back to the house to grab their brooms while Ginny gave us a quick lesson to us how to play. Harry and Ron came back, and the teams were chosen. The first game was Edward, Embry, Harry and me against Ron, Jasper, Emmett, and Alice.

We were only going to be using a Quaffle, because there was a danger that the balls that move on their own could escape and make their way to the Muggle village nearby. Emmett was disappointed when he found out that he couldn't be a beater, but decided he could have more fun trying to tackle people off their brooms."

The eight of us gathered in a circle, with Ginny standing in the middle, holding the Quaffle. She yelled, "Go!" throwing the ball up in the air, and we took off.

Embry and I were incredibly off balance at first. But the others seemed fine, damn their vampire balance. That made the game essentially four on two at the beginning, so Ron's team quickly took the lead.

After Embry and I had gotten used to flying, the match began in earnest. Initially, Alice and Edward had been an even match, but once Embry and I were in it, Alice's ability to see the future was negated. This gave Edward the upper hand, and we easily tied the game.

Ron scored a quick goal on Harry, who was playing keeper for our team, and his team took the lead again.

"Ron, next goal wins!" Harry yelled, passing the ball to me.

I caught it, and turned to see Emmett bearing down on me. I ducked, and he went right over me. Before he was able to turn around and come at me again, I passed the ball off to Edward.

Edward took the ball and weaved his way between Alice and Ron. He got to the goal, and Jasper came out to defend him. Edward faked a shot, and passed to Embry who was on the opposite side of the field. Embry caught the ball and deftly threw it through the makeshift hoop.

I I gave a fist pump in celebration, and high-fived Edward, Harry, and Embry after we landed.

"Good game guys." Ron told us. "You did really well for having no experience."

"Thanks," I said. "I guess we're just naturals."

"Or, it could have been that Ron and I were holding back." Harry said, laughing.

"I like my explanation better."

We laughed, and then watched as the next game was set up. The teams were Ginny, Nessie, Bella, and Hermione, who was playing against her will, facing Rosalie, Carlisle, Seth, and Leah.

"Think I should knock leech-lover off her broom? Ya know, just for old time's sake." Leah asked me, half jokingly.

"Well, since they all probably heard you, and Edward definitely knows, I'd suggest you only do it if it's the last thing you want to do." I told her laughing.

She smirked, "It might be worth it."

As she walked away, Edward leaned over to me, "She won't do anything, she's just kidding... I think. Reading Leah has gotten difficult in the past few years, I was so accustomed to her being in a sour mood and not being afraid to say exactly what she thinks."

"Yeah, I'm still not entirely used to 'nice Leah' myself." I replied.

The match was quite entertaining to watch. Seth and Leah took a few minutes to get their balance on their brooms, but once they did, they got into the game. Seth was even able to snatch the ball right out of Bella's hands a few times.

The final goal was scored when Ginny made a long range pass to Hermione who was attempting to hide on the edge of the field.. Hermione tried to catch the Quaffle, but missed. Instead the ball bounced off the end of her broom and through the hoop that Carlisle was guarding.

"That was awesome!" Emmett exclaimed as we made our way back towards the Weasley's house. "We're going to have to show you how to play some baseball when we get back to the States though."

We went inside, and were greeted by the smell of a home-cooked meal. "Mrs. Weasley, Esme, this smells wonderful." I said as we walked past the kitchen.

"Why thank you dear." Mrs. Weasley responded, "Fred and George should be arriving soon and the other guests not long after that. You should all get washed up and ready." She told us.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione showed us where we would be sleeping, and we found that our bags were already waiting for us. I was rooming with Seth and Embry. I grabbed some clean clothes out of my suitcase and threw them on. Seth and Embry did the same, and we went back downstairs to the Weasley's living room.

We were the first ones to be ready, so we sat around waiting for everyone else to return. While we waited, we began discussing our plans for when we got back to La Push.

"Guys, I've been thinking. You know the prank we have planned for the rest of the Pack? Wouldn't it be a bit obvious if nothing is happening to us? Especially since we're the ones who have been away the whole time."

"Good point Jake." Seth said, "But what do you think we should do?"

"We could just do the same things that we're doing to everyone else to each other." Embry said, "That should get rid of the suspicion pretty quickly."

"So basically, we'll declare open season for the sake of the prank." I said grinning.

"Did somebody say the word 'prank?'" two voices said in unison, causing Seth to jump in surprise.

I turned and saw two boys with bright red hair. They were both tall and lanky, and exactly identical. I assumed that they must be Fred and George.

"Uh, yes. We were just planning what we were going to do to our friends when we returned home." I told them.

"Perfect." One of them said, "I'm Fred, and this is my brother George. We run Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, purveyors of prankster merchandise."

"You run a joke shop? What kind of stuff do you sell?" Embry asked.

"I'm glad that you asked." George said, "Might we interest you in some of our own Wildfire Whiz-bangs? They're fireworks that you can set off, but never get rid of unless you know the correct password. They're great for setting off in a friend's house, and watching him deal with the ruckus."

"Or maybe you'd like some Canary Creams." Fred continued, "Have a friend eat one, and he'll turn into a canary."

"Headless hats are a wonderful addition to anybody's wardrobe." George interjected.

"Extendable ears are great for listening in on those private conversations."

The twins were in full on salesman mode, and watching them explain the products was almost as entertaining as thinking of the possibilities of what we could do with them. But despite the fun that we were having, I stopped them.

"Those sound great, but I'm not sure how they'd fit into our plan. Let me give you a quick summary." I told them.

I gave them a quick briefing on our plans, explaining that the 'victims' had never seen magic before. They whispered to each other for a few moments before announcing, "A wonderful plan. We'll just sneak back to the shop and get everything you'll need to make it the best prank your friends have ever seen."

Right as Fred, or maybe George, I couldn't remember which was which, finished speaking, the others came down the stairs.

"Hey guys. Long time no see." The two said to the group.

After the greetings and introductions were finished, Fred and George went into the kitchen to let Mrs. Weasley know that they had shown up. They came back, and we spent the next half hour talking about school, ourselves, and their joke shop. Apparently, Harry had given them the money that they needed to start up the shop. I was impressed by his generosity.

Next to arrive was Remus, who was greeted warmly, followed by Luna, who Seth greeted with a hug, and her father Xenophilius. He seemed surprised by Seth, but looked pleased that Luna was making friends.

Soon after Mister Weasley got home from work and we all introduced ourselves, Esme came into the now packed living room and announced that dinner was ready and that we would be eating outside.

We moved outside to the back yard, where the table was set up. The table was about as long as two cars parked in front of each other, and it was covered with a large tablecloth. On the table sat a selection of dishes that rivaled the one at Hogwarts.

Everybody complimented Mrs. Weasley and Esme on their work in setting up before we sat down to eat.

We took our seats. I sat next to Nessie, across from Seth, who was sitting next to Luna. Once everyone was settled in, we began to eat. For a few minutes, there was relative silence, but conversations soon started.

"So, Carlisle, you said that your family lived among Muggles for a long time?" Mister Weasley asked excitedly.

"Yes, we did. We've been living as Muggles for the past sixteen years."

Mister Weasley's face lit up, "I've always been fascinated by Muggles. It's amazing how they live without magic."

"They get by quite well. They use electricity for most of the things that can be done with magic. And to be honest, Muggles have made scientific advances far beyond those of magical society. The magical world could learn a lot if they struck up any sort of relationship."

"I've always thought so myself." Arthur agreed in a somewhat sad tone. "You're trained in medicine, right? Can you tell me how vaccinations work?"

I chuckled to myself at Mister Weasley's enthusiasm for learning about non-magical people. I looked around the table, and saw that Embry and Leah were in a conversation with Fred and George. I assumed that Leah had been filled in on the expansion of our plan and Fred and George were talking about their shop. Seth was talking with Luna and her father. Everyone else were in conversations of their own, or listening in on another.

I wound up spending most of the meal talking with Remus. We had become pretty good friends, but I didn't really know much about his past, and I hadn't told him much about La Push either, so we spent most of the time relating stories of when we were younger.

"So let me get this straight?" I asked while he was telling me one of the stories about the Marauders. "You, a Professor at Hogwarts, were a member of one of the biggest trouble making groups in school history?"

"Not one, of," He corrected, "The biggest. We weren't called 'The Marauders' for nothing. We earned that title."

"And you were a Prefect at the time? Who thought that was a good idea?"

"Professor Dumbledore did I presume, I never have asked him. I believe that they hoped I would stop James and Sirius from going too overboard. I tried my best to, of course." Remus said, chuckling.

"But anyway, getting back to the story. After James and Lily had started dating, Snape became absolutely cruel to them. He had always been antagonistic of James, but he stepped it up about three levels. James had had enough of it, so he organized some retribution.

"One night after Snape had used some particularly, colorful, insults against Lily and him, James snuck down to the Slytherin dormitories and sabotaged Snape's clothing. The next morning during breakfast, Snape's clothes turned bright pink, and he started singing songs from musicals whenever he opened his mouth. It took two days for the nurse to figure out how to cure him. All of us got a week's detention for it."

Remus' story had gathered an audience, and we all howled with laughter.

"Those were fun times." Remus said, finishing his reminiscence.

By then, we had all finished eating, so we cleaned our plates and returned to the table to relax and talk. Eventually, Mister Lovegood stood and and announced that it was time for he and Luna to leave. Seth gave Luna a hug, and we all bade them goodbye.

After the Lovegoods had left, we finished clearing off the table, and moved into the Weasley's living room. We chatted for a few minutes about nothing that was consequential. During a lull in the conversation, I looked to Carlisle, trying to ask a question with my expression. He subtly nodded in response.

"Arthur, Molly, I'd just like to thank you again for your hospitality."

"Oh it's nothing at all, really." Mrs. Weasley said. "We're happy to have you all."

"Thank you." Carlisle said again, "But all the same, there is something that we need to tell you that may change your opinions of us." He gestured to me to continue.

"I'm not good at making things sound better than they are." I told them, "So I'll just say it. Embry, Seth, Leah, and I are werewolves."

They looked slightly surprised for a moment, but Mister Weasley recovered quickly. "That's quite alright. We are not prejudiced people in the Weasley household. Some of my closest friends are Muggleborns or werewolves."

"Thank you," I said, "I thought that you had a right to know if we were all going to be staying in your house."

"Thank you for informing us, but it makes absolutely no difference." Mrs. Weasley said. "You can't control what you are."

"There is one other thing." Carlisle explained, "But I ask that you allow me to tell the full story before you pass judgment."

"If our children and their friends trust you, we can surely give you that respect." Mister Weasley told him.

Carlisle took a breath before continuing. "My family and I, are vampires. However, we do not drink human blood. We survive on a diet of animal blood. We attempt to be as civilized and peaceful as possible given our circumstances."

For about fifteen seconds, the looks on Mister and Mrs. Weasley's faces were identical. Surprised mingled with fear.

Mrs. Weasley recovered first. She turned to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Did you know about this?" She asked.

"Yes we did Mum." Ron replied, "They proved that they aren't dangerous, and they helped saved Harry's life. We can trust them."

Mister and Mrs. Weasley took a few minutes to process the information.

"I must admit," Mister Weasley said, "That this was the last thing I was expecting. But, you all seem to be good people, and I trust the judgment of my children. But, if I may ask, did you wind up in the lifestyle that you are living. I've never heard of vampires living off of animal's blood."

Thus began the hour long summary of the Cullen coven, from Carlisle's turning to the alliance with the La Push Pack, up to Renesmee's birth. The Weasley's were surprised when we explained the differences between werewolves like the Quileute Pack and werewolves like Remus, but were happy to hear that Carlisle was working on something that could help those like Remus.

"The best things in life always come as surprises I always say." Mister Weasley commented after we had finished relating our stories, "And that sure was a surprise. I think it's wonderful that you try to live the best that you can. I think I speak for both Molly and myself when I say that we have no issue with you staying with us."

"Thank you for your kindness. Not many would be so understanding." Carlisle said.

"Which is a sad commentary on these day's." Mister Weasley looked at his watch. "It's getting late, and I have to go to the Ministry tomorrow. All the departments are holding pre-holiday meetings which means that I need to be there. That means it's time for all of us to get to bed."

I looked at my watch, and was surprised that it was nearly midnight. We all stood up, and started heading to our rooms for the night.

"Jacob, Remus, can I speak with you for a moment?" Carlisle asked.

Remus and I stopped, "Sure. What's up Doc?"

Carlisle chuckled lightly, "Remus, I assume that you are aware that the next full moon is on Christmas Eve?"

"I could give you the date of every full moon for the next three years Carlisle. It's a rather important thing for werewolves to know."

"Yes, I can imagine it is. But the reason I wanted to talk to the two of you is to let you know that Professor Snape and I were able to finish the potion the night before the break began."

"You mean that you were actually able to find a cure?" Remus asked.

"We believe so. We cannot know for sure until the next full moon. You have to take the potion on that day. Once you transform, if you are still in control of yourself, then you should be able to change between the forms at will. There is also a possibility that the potion will fail of course."

"Could there be any negative side effects?"

"We don't believe so. Other than you undergoing the transformation without the effects of Wolfsbane should the potion fail."

"I have a room in my house designed for my transformations, so we can test it there."

"I'll go with you, to teach you how to do the transformations yourself.." I offered.

"That would be wonderful." Remus said, "Thank you, both of you. You don't know how much this means to me. The thought of finally being able to control my lycanthropy is beyond anything I ever expected." His voice thick with his emotion.

"Really Remus, it's the least we could do. How couldn't we help once we knew that it was possible?" I told him.

We sat for a moment while Remus tried to contain his emotions before Carlisle stood up and said, "While I might not need sleep, the two of you do, so I think we should follow the others' lead and call it a night."

"Agreed," I said through a stifled yawn.

I bade Carlisle and Remus goodnight, and went up the stairs to the room that Seth, Embry, and I were staying in. I opened the door slowly and found them both already asleep. I shook my head to myself, got changed and fell into my bed. I was asleep just a moment after my head hit the pillow.

* * *

**A/N **I'm not sure if I'll be updating again until after Christmas, so I just want to wish you all a merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate.


	16. Christmas

Chapter 16: Christmas

**Jacob's Point of View**

The next morning, I was forced back to consciousness by the voices in the room. I cracked my eye open enough to see Seth and Embry, still laying in their beds. I saw their mouths moving and heard words, but was still semi-unconscious and couldn't make out what they were saying.

Nor did I want to, "Shut up. 'M trying to sleep." I told them, trying to throw one of my pillows at Seth's head. Apparently I had missed, because they kept talking.

Eventually, I decided to stop fighting it, and forced myself to sit upright.

"Good morning Jake." Seth said, entirely too cheerfully.

"Morning,' I replied gruffly, "Now, what was so important that you had to wake me up by talking about it?"

Embry answered me, "When Seth and I got up, nobody else was up. I asked him what he was getting Luna for Christmas, and it went from there."

"Oh. What are you getting Luna for Christmas anyway?"

Seth's eyes lit up, "Well, she seems really into hunting for all sorts of magical animals, so last time I phased I asked Quil to pick up a book about mythical creatures. I won't be able to give it to her on Christmas, but I will when she comes to La Push with us."

"That's a nice idea Seth. I'm sure she'll love it."

We sat around for a little while longer, talking about gift ideas, when suddenly something clicked in my head.

"Oh crap!" I exclaimed

"What?" Embry and Seth asked.

"I don't have anything to give to Nessie."

I don't know how I forgot. Nothing was more important to me than Nessie, and I hadn't even bothered to think of a gift to get her. I didn't really have to worry about anyone else, so that might have led to my forgetfulness. Alice already knew what I would have gotten her and Jasper, so she just bought one herself, and told me not to bother, Edward and Bella didn't expect me to get anything for them, and I had no great ideas, so I didn't worry about them either, and I had already gotten Rosalie and Emmett and gift that would fit the theme of our relationship.

Carlisle and Esme had also told me not to worry about getting them, or anyone else a gift. They said that they would make all the gifts they gave as coming from the Cullen family, and seeing as I was now part of their family, that included me. I had been a little reluctant at first, not wanting to rely on their charity, but then I realized that I would, a few years down the road, be a full member of the family, so I'd have to get used to it. Plus, it wasn't like I didn't have a job, I was teaching, and before that, I had done some mechanic work in my spare time.

But now, It was two days until Christmas, and I had no idea what to get Nessie.

"Shoot." Seth said, "Well, do you have any ideas?"

"I could get her something like jewelery, but that doesn't seem special enough. I don't want to give her just anything, it has to be perfect."

"I take that to mean that you don't have any ideas then."

"Not one."

"Well, if you can't come up with anything, maybe you could ask someone else for help?" Embry suggested. "I'm sure Alice would have some ideas."

I wanted to be as subtle as possible about my plea for help, so I decided to use the quietest means available.

_'Hey Edward,'_ I thought, _'Could you do me a favor, and ask Alice to come down here? I need to talk to her.'_

About ten seconds later, the door opened and Alice appeared in the room.

"I saw Edward telling me that you wanted to talk to me. Whats up?" She asked.

"I wanted to ask you for some advice. I completely forgot to get Nessie something for Christmas."

"Okay. So, how can I help?"

"Any suggestions?" I asked meekly.

"You've never given her any jewelry, and now that she's old enough to actually wear it, that might be a good idea." Alice offered.

"I thought about that, but it didn't feel like it would be enough."

"No, believe me, jewelry would be perfect. If you got her something like a necklace or bracelet that she could wear all the time, she'd always have something of you to keep with her. If you could add a personal touch to it, that would be even better."

"Thinking about it, that actually sounds perfect. Do you think you could do me another favor, and help me pick out the right thing?" I asked.

Alice looked at me warily, "You do realize that that would entail going shopping. With me. Right?"

"Yes, but it's worth it."

Alice jumped up and hugged me, "Perfect! We can floo back home and drive down to Seattle today after breakfast. Plus, I'll finally be able to fix your wardrobe."

I flinched at the thought.

"Breakfast must be ready," Alice said, "Because Seth and Embry seem to have disappeared."

I looked around the room and found that Alice was right, we were alone. I stood up and opened the door. Immediately I was bombarded by the scent of eggs, pancakes, and bacon.

"Alice, thanks so much for helping me, but right now, there are slightly more important things to attend to than shopping."

I caught one glimpse of Alice's offended face before I raced down the stairs and took a seat at the table, ready to eat twice my weight in food.

* * *

_'Jacob Black, you've finally gone mad,'_ I thought to myself as I followed Alice through the throngs of people at the mall, _'Why in God's name did you subject yourself to this?'_

At first, it had seemed like it would be worth it, but as we got closer to the mall, Alice's demeanor had taken on a maniacal edge. I was honestly beginning to wonder if I would make it out of the mall before February, assuming I made it out at all.

Alice slowed down and turned towards me, "Come on Jake, the more you struggle, the longer this will take. Just give in already."

"Alice, we've been to about nine different stores, and I'm beginning to doubt we'll be able to fit all of these bags into the car, isn't this a bit overboard?"

"There is no such thing when it comes to shopping." Alice said simply, "Come on, we only have five hours left until the mall closes, and we still have three stores to hit, not to mention you need to pick something out for Nessie."

I groaned, "You say 'five hours' like that isn't a long time."

"It really isn't. Now come one."

Alice finally got fed up, and resorted to tugging me by the collar. I looked around and noticed one or two people looking on with their mouths hanging open, but most of the people there ignored the little spectacle, too wrapped up in last minute Christmas shopping of their own.

We arrived in a large store, and Alice took the bags I was carrying, set them on the ground, and began piling clothes into my hands.

"Be happy we already know what sizes you wear, otherwise it might have taken days to do this."

I shuddered at the thought as Alice continued to pile clothes into my hands. We spent half an hour in that store before checking out, and an hour in each of the others, leaving about two hours for me to find a gift for Nessie.

Alice was able to fit all of our bags into the car somehow, so we walked back into the mall empty-handed.

We finally arrived at the store, and I immediately began my search.

After about an hour, I turned to Alice, "What do you think of this one?" I asked, pointing to a simple gold necklace. "I'll be adding my own personal touch to it, like you suggested of course."

"You know Jake, it would be a lot easier if I could just see what you were planning," Alice told me in a frustrated tone, "But I'm sure Nessie will love whatever it is, even if the necklace is a bit plain."

I rolled my eyes as I approached one of the employees and purchased the necklace.

I put the box that the necklace was in for safe keeping as Alice and I returned to the car. We squeezed inside despite the fact that the car was stuffed full of clothes.

"It's about time that I got you a proper wardrobe. Sweat pants are never in style. I'll start planning your outfits as soon as we settled back in at Hogwarts."

"Umm. Alice." I said hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm a teacher at Hogwarts, I have to be in uniform."

Alice froze, though surprisingly, she was able to keep the car from ramming into anything at two hundred and fifty miles an hour.

"Alice, are you alright?"

Alice turned her head to face me, "You're aware that I just spent an entire day buying clothes for a wardrobe that you'll never use?"

"I didn't say that. I could wear them during the summer." I said, trying to placate her.

"They'll be out of style by then Jake. I'm going to have to bring you shopping again!"

"Again? Can't we just finish at this? I don't mind wearing clothes that are a little out of style."

"Allowing you to do that to yourself would go against everything in my nature. I don't want to see my friends hurt."

"Alice, don't you think your blowing this out of proportion, just a bit?"

"There is no such thing when it comes to fashion. There's no other option, I'll just have to take you shopping once school ends."

I was about to respond but hung my head in defeat. There was no way I'd win this battle. I'd unleashed a fashion monster that I'd have to deal with, probably for the rest of my life, but at least I had gotten my gift for Nessie. Now all I needed to was add my own personal style to it.

* * *

Christmas Eve arrived quickly, and I spent it in the room I shared with Seth and Embry putting the finishing touches on my little project. I finished at around midnight, and fell into bed, exhausted.

The next morning I awoke because of a heavy pressure on my chest. As I opened my eyes, the pressure lifted, before it came crashing back down on my chest in the form of my Imprint.

"Mom sent me to wake you up," Nessie offered at the perplexed look on my face, "But nothing I did worked. My next plan was to get a bucket of water, but I didn't think you'd appreciate that. Merry Christmas by the way."

I laughed, "No I wouldn't have appreciated the bucket of water technique, and merry Christmas to you too."

"Everyone else is already downstairs. They'll have finished with the presents if you don't hurry up."

"Oh." I said, "In that case, I guess I'll go shower up and get changed."

"Come on Jake." Nessie said, slightly frustrated, while trying to lift me out of the bed.

I laughed, "I was only kidding Nessie. You seem really excited."

"It is only my third Christmas," She offered in defense.

"Your third of many more to come." I said, lifting off of me and placing her on the ground. As soon I was out of bed, she was practically dragging me down the stairs.

We walked into the Weasley's overcrowded living room, and found a spot to sit down. All of the Weasley's that we had met were there, as were all of the Cullens.

"Now that we're all here." Mister Weasley announced, "I think it's time to open presents."

He began handing out gifts to everyone. I only had two gifts to give, but I wanted to save them for a little later.

Everyone got a ridiculous amount of clothing thanks to Alice. Alice had gotten so many outfits for Nessie that I was afraid that she would drown in the tsunami of clothing that erupted out of the boxes.

Alice received a set of tarot cards as a joke from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Alice immediately began using them and comparing the results to her visions.

Jasper and Emmett both got beater's bats from Fred and George, who said that they would give them a quick lesson later on in the day.

Bella and Edward got a number of books, which I could tell they were both looking forward to reading.

After most of the gifts had been distributed I saw three small boxes, addressed to Seth, Leah, and Embry, and one very large package that was for "The Wolves." We opened that one first, and inside found a large box full of the twin's joke shop products.

"That might be more than you need for that plan you were telling us about" George said.

"But we're sure that you'll find use for the rest." Fred finished.

I laughed, "Thanks guys, I'm sure we will."

Seth, Leah, and Embry opened their smaller gifts then. Hermione had finally gotten three more 'wands' that she had set up so they could use them. Seth immediately began casting spells on everything he could, Embry and Leah were a bit more reserved despite their apparent excitement.

Seeing that there weren't any gifts left to hand out, I decided that that was my cue. I stood up and handed a box to Rosalie.

"Thank you?" She said, a perplexed before she opened it. She looked at the books inside the package, then laughed. "One hundred and one fail proof ways to kill a blonde?"

"Think of it as a helpful 'what not to do' guide." I told her.

She gave me a glare, but I could tell that underneath it, she was amused. Everyone else in the room was.

After the laughter had subsided, I took out Nessie's gift, and was about to hand it to her, when she held out a box for me. We traded, and I motioned for her to open her's first.

"Thanks Jake." She said as she ripped into the wrapping paper. When she opened the box inside, she gave a small start, before taking the necklace out and putting it on.

After buying it, I had made a quick stop in La Push, and picked up a few good sized sticks in the forest. I had carved two into traditional Quileute symbols, and one into a small figure in the shape of a wolf, and attached them to the necklace. I also asked Edward to enchant the wood so that it was unbreakable and wouldn't be in danger of rotting.

Once I had finished, I thought that the small wooden charms contrasted well with the gold of the necklace. Apparently, Nessie liked my gift, because she immediately gave me a hug and said, "Thank you so much Jake. It's perfect."

"I'm glad you like it. I was up for the past two nights putting the finishing touches on it." I grinned, hugging her back.

"Okay, open your gift now." Nessie said, almost bouncing in anticipation.

I ripped the paper off of the box, and opened it. Inside of it, I saw a gold chain that had the exact same wooden adornments as the ones on the necklace I had given to Nessie. Thankfully she had chosen a chain that would look acceptable on a guy.

"Did you know what I was giving you, or was this some random fluke?" I asked.

"Well, I asked Leah if she had any ideas about what I could give you, and she suggested this. But this is perfect, we match now."

"That we do." I told her. "I'll just need to be careful so I don't snap it when I phase."

"Don't worry about that. I asked Hermione to use a spell that makes it enlarge whenever you phase."

"That's great! Thanks Hermione." I said.

Hermione smiled, "It's not like I could had said no."

I put the chain on. I had to admit that it looked good, and the fact that it matched Nessie's made it even better.

"Well, I think it's about time we had breakfast. What do you think kids?" Mister Weasley said.

There was a general chorus of approval, and we began to make our way to the dining room.

"Hey, mutt." I heard Rosalie call from behind me.

I turned, "Yes, Blondie?"

A bolt of light shot out of her wand towards me. I flinched as it hit me, but nothing happened. "What was that for?" I asked.

"Oh, just making your necklace a bit more 'you.'" She said innocently.

I looked down, and noticed a small gold medallion hanging off of the chain. I grabbed it and took a closer look. Inscribed on the gold was 'Fido.'

I looked back at Rosalie. "Fido? Really? That's not really me. I'd be more of a Rex I think."

She laughed and walked into the Weasley's dining room.

Once Rose had left, I turned to Jasper, the only other person remaining in the room, "Umm. Can you change this back? Rose had her fun, and I don't think Nessie would appreciate it."

Jasper laughed, lightly, "No, she wouldn't. He tapped his wand against the gold medallion, and it turned back into the wood carvings that it had been before Rosalie's little joke.

We walked into the dining room and saw that everyone else was already seated and beginning their meal.

"It's really too bad about the timing of the moon." Mister Weasley was saying as Jasper and I entered, "He's going to come over for an hour or so, but he told me that he has to go back to Hogwarts for his transformation tonight."

I took my seat next to Nessie, and began piling my plate with food. Mrs. Weasley, after witnessing how quickly we had decimated her breakfast spread the first morning we were here, had cooked enough food to feed an army. I paid little attention to the conversation going on around me as I proceeded to consume about thirty pounds of food.

After breakfast, we returned to the Weasley's living room where we lounged about, and enjoyed our gifts. Fred and George spent some time advising Seth, Embry, Leah, and me on potential uses for the myriad of pranking tools they had given us before they left to give Emmett and Jasper the Quidditch lesson that they had promised earlier.

I was sitting on the couch and felt like I was about ready to take a short nap when Edward tapped me on the shoulder. "Carlisle wants to see you. He's upstairs, third door on the left."

I nodded, stood up, and went up the stairs. I opened the door that Edward had mentioned, and saw Carlisle inside. He was standing in front of a large cauldron full of liquid, and was surrounded by test tubes and Petri dishes.

"A doctor's work is never done eh?" I asked, "Though I didn't expect to walk into a full fledged laboratory when Edward said you wanted to see me."

Carlisle did not react to my joke, he seemed to be concentrating intently on something. After a moment he turned, "Ah good, you're here. It's been difficult, but I think I've nearly finished."

I moved closer to the cauldron, and saw the liquid inside. It was a dark gray and odorless.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That, Jacob, is the product of the most advanced technology combined with magic." Carlisle said, sounding a bit proud. "With this potion, I think that we may be able to cure Remus of his lycanthropy."

"You mean you've finished it? That's great!" I said.

"Yes, it's almost done. With on final ingredient, I think we'll be finished."

"What ingredient is that?"

"With the addition of some fur from your, or one of the others' wolf form, the potion should be complete. The magical component of the potion should make its effect's instantaneous, and give Remus control over himself during his transformations, but in order to give Remus the extra chromosome that he needs to become like the wolves of La Push, I had to use Muggle genetic engineering. The fur will act as the template for the extra chromosome that the potion will cause Remus' body to create."

"So you need some of my fur? No problem." I said.

I took of my shirt and pants and quickly phased. I had left the chain Nessie had given me on, and true to her word, it expanded around my neck to fit my wolf form. Carlisle picked a pair of scissors up off the table and cut a large portion of fur off my back. Once had finished, I phased back and pulled my clothes back on.

"Thank you Jacob. Now, if I'm correct, once I add this to the potion, it will change colors, and take on an earthy scent."

He dropped the clump of fur into the cauldron, and the change began immediately. Within ten seconds, the liquid had turned white, and an earthy scent began emanating from the cauldron.

Carlisle studied the potion for a moment before declaring victory, "Perfect."

"So, you think this will allow Remus to control his transformations?" I asked.

"There's only one way to find out." Carlisle said, "And it is Christmas. What do you say we give Remus a nice gift when he arrives?"

Carlisle took a sample of the potion and put it into a vial. As he was corking the vial, he finally seemed to realize the enormity of what he had accomplished, "If this works, think of all the people it could help. Lycanthropy has been around for years and there's never been a cure. This is a huge breakthrough. And, maybe the magical world will finally begin to understand what wonderful things could come if they learned to cooperate with Muggles."

"And, think of all the people that won't have to deal with discrimination any more. You've saved who knows how many people from lives of poverty and hate. What you've done is nothing short of a miracle Carlisle." I told him.

Carlisle smiled, obviously overjoyed with his achievement. "I'll have to tell Professor Snape about this, I wouldn't have been able to do it without his help."

I heard the front door opening downstairs, and people greeting the new arrival. "You can tell Snape once we get back to Hogwarts. But now, I think we have to go greet a werewolf whose life we are about to change."

* * *

**A/N **Initially, I didn't intend to spend three chapters on Christmas at the Burrow, but it just seemed to work out that way. I could have continued, but I didn't want a seven or eight thousand word chapter. I've already started on the next chapter, so expect it to be up soon.


	17. The Potion

Chapter 17: The Potion

**Jacob's Point of View**

Remus stayed at the Weasley's for about an hour and a half. At around four o'clock, he stood up, looking rather sickly, and announced, "I wish I could stay longer, but unfortunately I have to go."

"We understand Remus. It was wonderful seeing you." Mrs. Weasley told him.

I looked to Carlisle, who nodded, and I stood up. "Before you go Remus, we have something we'd like to give to you."

Carlisle stood up and handed Remus the small box which contained the vial of potion.

"Thank you." Remus said as he tore the paper and opened to box. He looked at the vial, and asked, "What is this?"

"If I am correct," Carlisle told him, "Drinking that potion will give you the ability to control your transformations."

The room was silent for a moment before Hermione's curiosity became too much for her to hold in. "You finished the potion to cure lycanthropy?"

Carlisle nodded.

Remus looked at Carlisle, "I don't know what to say." I could tell that Remus was truly touched.

"It was my pleasure to help you. I couldn't have done it without the help of Professor Snape however."

Remus opened his mouth to say something, but apparently couldn't think of the proper words, so he settled for a simple, heartfelt, "Thank you."

"Remus," I said, "If you'd like, I can come with you and help you out with controlling your phasing yourself."

"That would be wonderful actually." He said, "It's getting late, so I really need to get going. Thank you so much, all of you."

I bade everyone a quick goodbye and left with Remus. He apparated us into the Shrieking Shack, and was about to go down the tunnel towards Hogwarts, but I stopped him.

"Maybe you should stay her tonight. It'll be easier to get to the Forest from here than your room in the castle, and I have a feeling that you'll want to go for a run tonight."

Remus nodded and sat down on one of the couches. "This is surreal. I've had to live as a werewolf since I was seven. To finally not have to deal with it seems impossible." He looked at me, "All I have to do is drink this potion, right?"

"That's what Carlisle said. He told me that you should drink it as far in advance as possible, that way the potion has time to settle before you transform. He said the potion shouldn't take effect until after you transform."

After hearing the advice Carlisle had given, Remus immediately uncorked the vial and drank it in one swallow.

"I can feel it spreading." He said, "It's a pleasant feeling."

"How long until your transform?" I asked.

Remus looked out the window. "From the looks of it, about five minutes."

We sat in relative silence for the next five minutes, until Remus gasped in pain. "Changing." Was the only word he was able to force out before he fell on the ground, writhing.

I immediately took my clothes off and phased. Once I had finished, I looked at Remus. He was on the floor, shaking. His body was a grotesque looking combination between man and wolf. As I watched, various parts of his body changed between forms, his screams of agony becoming snarls, before changing back to screams. I watched this for five minutes, unsure of how to act, before the changes occurring seemed to slow down. More parts of his body began to stay in wolf form until eventually, I was looking at a large, white furred wolf.

_'Remus? Are you okay?'_ I asked mentally, hoping he could hear me.

_'I appear to be. That was excruciating however.'_

_'Well, let's make sure that the potion worked. Are you ready to try changing back?' _I detected a bit of trepidation coming from him, so I added, _'Don't worry, it doesn't hurt like that every time.'_

_'I would hope not.'_ Remus commented sarcastically. _'So, how exactly do I change back?'_

_'It's a bit hard to describe actually. Just focus on yourself as a human, and sort of will your body into becoming that.'_

_'Okay.' _Remus replied.

I could tell he was concentrating intently, and after nearly five minutes, I saw his body begin to shimmer. _'Keep going, you've almost got it.'_ I encouraged.

After another minute, Remus' wolf body shimmered, and seemed to shrink. The next second, I was looking at Remus, the human. I immediately phased and threw my clothes back on.

"The potion worked. It actually worked!" Remus exclaimed, seeming giddy. "How do I change back?"

I was about to answer him when I realized something. "Hang on a second. Your clothes didn't rip when you phased, how did you do that?"

"Oh, it was just a simple spell." Remus grabbed his wand and waved it at me. My clothes glowed for a second before returning to normal. "There you go."

"Great, thanks. I'll need to get someone to do this for my whole wardrobe. Now, to change back, just do the same thing, but in reverse. Imagine yourself as a wolf."

Remus had been concentrating for less than two minutes when his body exploded into a mass of fur. I phased as well.

_'You're getting the hang of it I see. Now, what do you say we go for a run?'_ I said to him.

_'It'll be just like old times.'_ After a moment he added, _'Wait, why does it feel like I'm confused?'_

I gave a short bark of laughter, _'That confusion was me. The mental bond sends thoughts, emotions, everything while we're in wolf form. Your connected to everyone in your pack. But seeing as you don't have a pack, you're technically an Alpha. Alphas share the same type of bond with each other, but it's limited by distance.'_

_'I see.'_ Remus said, _'And how do I join a Pack?'_

_'I'm not really sure.'_ I admitted, _'When I broke off from my old Pack, Seth and Leah said that they just sort of willed themselves to follow me instead of Sam. Then, when Sam stepped down from leading his Pack, he transferred the position to me, so all of the wolves left in his Pack joined mine. Why are you asking?'_

_'I'd like to join your pack Jake. I can tell that you are a good leader, and we are stronger united than we are apart.'_

_'Well, if you really want to join it, I guess I'm in no position to stop you.'_

_'How do we tell if I've really joined your pack?" Remus asked._

_'Well, if any of the others were in wolf form, it would be easy enough, because as soon as you joined, you'd be able to hear them as well. Right now, the only way would be for me to try and use an Alpha command.'_ I noticed his confusion, so I explained, _'Alphas and their second in commands can order members of their pack in a way that is possible to disobey. I've promised the Pack that I'll never use it though. I've had it done to me, and I don't want that forced upon anyone else.'_

_'I guess we'll just wait for one of the others to phase then?'_

_'Yeah. Someone back in La Push should phase soon. They're getting really lax with the patrolling. Now, how about that run?'_

Remus bounded towards the entrance of tunnel that led towards the Hogwarts grounds and went in. I followed close behind.

_'Oh yeah. You never explained what you meant by saying that this would be 'just like old times.''_

_'Back when I was a student at Hogwarts, I was good friends with James Potter, Harry's father, Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, and Peter Pettigrew.'_ At the last name, I detected feelings of hatred coming from Remus, _'When they learned of my condition, rather than shunning me like anyone else would have, they tried to help me in any way they could. They became animagi so they could accompany me when I transformed. Every full moon, they'd sneak out, and we'd go for a run through the Forbidden Forest._

_'They all took nicknames for their animagus forms as well. It was like a little secret society. Sirius was Padfoot, James was Prongs, Peter was Wormtail, and I was Moony._

_'This was before the invention of the wolfsbane potion, so I wasn't in control of myself during my transformations. Even though, as weird as it sound, I felt more like myself when I was with them, they had to keep a careful watch on me. Thankfully, James' animagus form was a stag, and Sirius' was a large dog, so they had enough muscle to control me if they needed to. But, there were a few close calls in spite of that._

_'After we left Hogwarts and the war started I had to lock myself in my basement every full moon. Compared to the nights spent running through the Forest with my friends, it was absolute torture. Wolfsbane, once it was finally discovered helped, but it didn't make the transformations any less painful.'_

_'It sound's like you had great friends.' _I commented.

_'They were better than anyone could have asked for. Except for Pettigrew of course. He was the one that betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort.'_

At that point, we exited the tunnel and were standing beneath the Whomping Willow. Hoping to take Remus' mind off of Pettigrew, I issued a challenge. _'I'll race you from here to the edge of the Forest.'_

_'Sure thing.'_ He replied.

_'Okay, I'll count. Three, two, one, go!'_

We both race off towards the Forest. Once he managed to get up to full speed, I realized that Remus was only a tad slower than I was. He was probably the third fastest in the Pack, behind Leah and myself.

A few hundred yards before we reached the forest, Remus said, _'Let's keep going. This is great. I feel like I'm finally free.'_

I laughed, _'Okay, you lead the way.'_

We ran for a while in silence. We reached a small clearing, and Remus announced, _'Let's take a break.'_

_'Sure.'_ I replied before finding a place in the grass to lay down.

_'This is wonderful. I've never really been able to see what I was able to do in my wolf form, but now I can, and it feels great.'_

_'Yeah. Just running around is one of my favorite parts of being a wolf. It feels nice to just get away from it all sometimes.'_

As I was replying to Remus, I felt someone phase. It was Quil.

_'Hey Quil.'_ I thought.

_'Hey Jake! How's it going?'_ Quil paused for a moment and added, _'Is someone else phased? It feels like they are, but I don't recognize them.'_

_'I'm Remus Lupin.' _Remus thought. The connection between Quil and he proved that he had joined the pack.

_'He's the werewolf I was telling you guys about. Carlisle finally finished the potion that lets him control his phasing. He decided to join the Pack.'_ I explained.

_'Oh. It's great to meet you Remus. What are you guys doing, by the way?'_

_'Remus and I were just going for a run so he could get used to being a wolf.'_

_'Ah, and what do you think of it?'_

_'It's great.' _Remus replied.

_'I'm glad you agree.'_ I could sense Quil's humor. _'Well, I'm going to phase.. I was just running home from Claire's.'_

_'Okay then. We'll see you in a few days for New Year's.'_

_'Yeah, it's going to be great. Sam has a huge bonfire planned. I'll see you guys then.' _At that, Quil phased, and Remus and I were left alone again.

Remus and I remained in the clearing for a few minutes longer, when he suddenly said, _'What's that smell? It's burning my nose.'_

I was immediately alert. I began sniffing the air. As Remus had said, I detected the smell as well. _'Vampires.'_ I told him, _'Let's go.'_

I led Remus through the woods to the source of the scent. It grew steadily stronger until I spotted them. There was one female, and she was leading three males through a path in the forest. They were being incredibly quiet, apparently trying not to attract attention.

_'Keep quiet.' _I told Remus, _'These leeches probably aren't friendly.'_

I moved to get a better look at their faces. Once I got a clear view, I noted the males' red eyes. They were newborns. The female looked familiar, but I couldn't place why.

Suddenly, one of the males spoke, "Chelsea. I smell something, I think it's a wolf."

"Wolves, here? Not possible, now be quiet and keep going."

_'Damn.' _I thought, _'They're Volturi.'_ At Remus' confusion, I added, _'No time to explain in full, they're bad vampires. We have to kill them. Go for the female first.'_

_'What do I have to do?' _Remus asked.

_'We're going to have to burn them to kill them, so try to dismember them or rip them into pieces, that way they won't be a threat. On three, charge the female.'_

_'One._

_'Two._

_'Three!'_

Remus and I bounded out of the trees and charged for the female. We had the element of surprise, so I was able to tackle Chelsea before she could react. The newborns were too surprised to be able to act quickly, and wound up standing frozen on the spot.

_'Quick. Get rid of her arms and legs.' _I told Remus.

After a moment of hesitation, Remus complied, ripping Chelsea's arms and legs off.

_'Alright, phase, and use your wand to burn her. Be quick.'_

Remus concentrated on phasing, and was able to do it in about fifteen seconds. While he was busy, I shoved Chelsea's body towards her limbs, and turned towards the newborns. Rather than try to attack them single handed, I kept myself between them and Remus. I was working on a hunch, but I was fairly sure I was right.

Remus finally lit Chelsea on fire, and her screams finally cut off after a minute or so. I immediately began bearing down on the newborns, growling, and looking as if I was about to strike.

After a few seconds, one shouted, "No! We didn't even want to help them. Spare us, and we'll give you anything you want."

Satisfied, I phased. "I was right. She was using her power to make you help the Volturi, wasn't she?"

The newborn spoke, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just know that when I woke up, she was there, telling me that if I was going help her, and even though I didn't know why, it seemed like the right thing to do."

I nodded, "I'll let you all live, but you need to answer my questions first. Why are you here?"

"Chelsea said that we were scouts. They're trying to capture someone. I think his name is Harry. We were sent to find out how much resistance there would be and to find the easiest path to the guy."

"Why do the Volturi want him?"

"I'm not sure. One of them said something about him being the only thing left in the way. "

"Have you ever heard the name Voldemort?"

"Yeah. He was the one who wanted to capture Harry. He mentioned something about immortality and finishing the job when he mentioned Harry's name."

"Do you know when they were planning on attacking?"

"They said that the sooner, the better. One of them said something about not wanting to allow any time to prepare."

I paused, mulling over all the information that I had just received. "Do any of you know anything else about their plans? Anything at all?"

They shook their heads.

"Alright. I'll let you live, but there are a few conditions. One, never speak with anyone from the Volturi again. Two, stay away from here, better yet, leave the country, just make sure you don't go to the United States. Three, never harm a human being. You can live off the blood of animals. If I ever find out that you've done otherwise, I will hunt you down."

The newborns seemed to take my threat seriously, and I watched as they disappeared into the woods.

"Bring us back to the Burrow. We need to tell everyone." I said to Remus.

We apparated back to the Burrow, and I immediately began trying to contact Edward, _'Edward, get everyone to meet in the dining room, we have a problem.'_

I opened the front door, and Remus and I walked into the Weasley's dining room to see that everyone was already gathered at the table for dinner.

"Remus! The potion worked?" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"Yes it did." Remus confirmed, "But we have something more pressing to discuss."

I related the story of what had happened to everyone. Once in a while, the Cullens jumped in with some explanations about the Volturi and their guard. Once I had finished, they exploded with questions.

"You let the newborns go? Why would you do that?" Emmett asked, angry.

"Chelsea can control people's loyalties. They obviously didn't want to work for the Volturi, so I gave them a chance. I can't condemn them for what they had no control over."

"You said that they were there, scouting, for me?" Harry asked.

"That's what they told me. They said that the Volturi wanted to send a full attack as soon as possible."

"How long do we have until they come?" Jasper asked.

"I'd imagine they won't make a move until after the holidays end. Trying to attack when they don't know where we are, and probably don't know the lay of the land would put them at a disadvantage. We'll have to begin preparations as soon as we return to Hogwarts however,"

"We'll need help when they come. When we get to Washington, I'll put the Pack on high alert, and we can bring anyone that wants to help back to Hogwarts with us." I announced.

"We should contact the other covens as well. I'm sure that some would be willing to help us." Carlisle said.

"The Denalis will agree of course." Alice said, looking through the future to see the reactions of the other covens, "Zafrina's coven will help too. Benjamin will want to help, but Amun will take a lot of convincing. Peter and Charlotte are planning to pay us a visit at New Year's, and they'll want to help too."

"We should try to get in touch as soon as possible. In that case. Emmett, Rosalie, will you two go to the Amazon coven and inform them. I will go to Amun, I think I would be the best for trying to convince him." Carlisle said.

"Jazz and I will head to Denali as soon as we get back to Washington." Alice said.

Carlisle made a noise of exasperation, "I knew a fight was going to come, I just had hoped it wouldn't be this soon." He tried to brighten his expression, "But there is no point worrying, because we cannot do anything about it right now."

Ever the optimist, Seth tried to brighten the mood, "So Remus, what did you think of being a wolf?"

Remus' grim expression brightened a bit as he explained what the potion's effects were like during his transformation, and how it felt to be a wolf. Seth had succeeded in taking everyone's mind off of the news we had received, because soon, everyone around the table was listening intently as Remus described his experience.

At one point, Remus mentioned the times his friends had transformed with him and they had spent nights running about the Forest. Eventually, this led to Remus telling stories of his exploits with the 'Marauders' as he and his friends had been dubbed. We stayed up long into the night, listening to Remus' tales of stealth, cunning, and pranks.

* * *

**A/N** Another short chapter, I know, but I felt the need to break it up into two, just to make it all flow better. Reviews, as always, are appreciated.


	18. Baseball, Pranks, and Parties

Chapter 18: Baseball, Pranks, and Parties

**Jake's Point of View**

The next two days we spent at the Burrow found us doing exactly what one was supposed to do during a vacation: nothing much. Seth, Leah, Embry, and I spent some time running with Remus, who was really enjoying his new control over his wolf form. Jasper came along once, and we showed him the basics of fighting in wolf form, though he commented that he preferred using a wand.

On the 28th, it was time for us to go back to Washington for the rest of the vacation. When we offered, Neville's Grandmother decided that she would prefer for him to stay in England, but Luna's father had no such qualms. So, that morning our group prepared to floo back to Washington.

Carlisle went first, grabbing a handful of floo powder and tossing it into the fireplace. He stepped in, and announced, "Cullen residence," before disappearing. The rest of the Cullens, followed by Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Luna followed suit.

My turn was next, so I grabbed a handful of powder, threw it into the fireplace, and said "Cullen residence." It felt as if I was spinning for a few moments before I began to slow down and stop.

When I stepped out of the fireplace and into the Cullen's living room, I noticed that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were staring around in what looked like wonder. Luna was looking around as well, but her face held the same look of slight surprise that it always did.

"Nice house." Ron managed to say, still looking around.

"Thank you." Esme said. "House decoration has always been a hobby of mine."

Edward must have been reading their minds, because he answered their silent question, "When you have an infinite amount of time, and a stock predicting psychic," He elbowed Alice softly, "Money isn't too difficult to come by."

They nodded in understanding.

Luna, who was eying the wall made of glass facing towards the forest. "When it gets sunny, doesn't the light come through? How do people not see you?" She asked.

"We live more than a mile away from anybody else, and we keep to ourselves." Carlisle answered.

Luna nodded, and began walking around the house and examining the decor.

By that point, the rest of the group had arrived, so Esme announced, "I'll show you all to your rooms. Please feel free to make yourselves at home." Before leading her house guests up the stairs.

Sam and Emily had called for a bonfire that night to welcome us back to town. The whole Pack and their families and imprints were going to be there. Seth, Embry, Leah, and I had decided that that was when we would begin our prank. We had the grand finale planned for the New Year's bonfire.

After we finished lunch, Emmett stood up from the table. "We promised that we would show you some baseball, and today is the perfect day."

I looked outside. There was a wall of gray, stormy clouds moving in from the horizon.

Ginny apparently noticed this, "It looks like it's about to rain."

"We have to play during storms." Alice explained, "You'll see why."

We cleaned up from lunch, and went to the garage, where we split up into the Cullen's cars. After the short drive, we stopped near the field that the Cullen's normally played in. We hopped out of the cars, and followed Emmett as he led us through the forest to the field. I looked to the sky, and as I did, I heard a crash of thunder. Perfect weather for vampire baseball.

When we got there, Alice ran out to mark the bases and the pitcher's mound while Emmett explained the rules. "The rules are pretty simple. The pitcher throws the ball, and you try to hit it. If you do, you have to run around the bases. If you get tagged by the ball or someone catches the ball on the fly, you're out. After three outs, the teams switch."

We chose teams, and got ready to play. I was on Emmett's team, along with Alice, Leah, Ron, Harry, Rosalie, and Bella. Jasper was leading the other team, which included Edward, Nessie, Ginny, Seth, Embry, and Luna. Hermione, Esme, and Carlisle decided to watch.

Our team was up first, and Emmett led off. Edward wound up and threw the pitch. It was obvious that both of them were holding back because the ball moved at the speed a good changeup from a professional. Emmett swung, and knocked the ball into the outfield for a single.

Alice was up next, and hit a line drive right at Seth, who caught it easily. Ron was up next, and despite the fact that Edward gave him a few easy tosses, he struck out. I was batting clean-up, but grounded out to third.

With the side retired, the teams switched sides. I moved out to play left field, but didn't have to make any plays. Like Ron, Ginny struck out, and Seth and Edward both hit line drives that were caught.

After a few more innings, there was still no score. Ron, Harry, and Ginny had all succeeded in making contact with the ball, though only Ginny reached base safely. At the start of the fourth inning, Emmett was leading off again. Before stepping up to the plate, Emmett gave Edward a look. Edward responded with a nod, and Emmett's eyes lit up.

Edward wound up and threw his pitch. This time, he wasn't holding back, because a millisecond after he released the ball, it was sitting in Jasper's hand.

"Blimey." I heard Ron say, next to me.

"This is how they normally play." I explained, "I think Emmett wants to show off."

He and Harry laughed, and turned back to watch the game. Edward wound up and pitched. This time, Emmett made contact, and the ball went flying. Seth went running backwards, trying to catch up to the ball, but he wasn't fast enough. Emmett trotted around the bases, looking rather smug. Once he had finished, he came over to us.

"That," He said to Harry and Ron, "Is how baseball should be played. Want to see more?"

They answered with a very enthusiastic yes, and all of the non-vampires cleared the field. The new teams were Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jasper against Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme. The game was exciting as expected, but it was forced to end in a tie after two innings because the storm was ending.

We started packing up to return to the Cullens' home.

"I always thought Dean was crazy for liking Muggle sports, but that was brilliant." Ron said.

Emmett grinned, "Glad you liked it. We'll have to show you football and basketball some time too."

"Looking forward to it."

* * *

We returned to the Cullens home and relaxed for a little while. Hermione spent most of the time in Carlisle's library while everyone else was content to explore the house and the nearby woods. I spent the afternoon explaining the dynamics of the Pack to Remus.

"Sam used to be the Alpha, but about three years ago, the the Pack split, and I became the Alpha of a separate group. Once we resolved our differences, Sam decided to retire, and told his Pack to join mine."

"Why did you break off from Sam's pack?" Remus asked.

"Long story. But the short version is that Sam was trying to force me to do something that I didn't really want to do. I'll explain in full later. Now, on to the imprints. Six of the wolves have imprinted. I've imprinted on Nessie, and Seth imprinted on Luna, which you already knew. You'll meet the others at the party, but just so you're not caught off guard, Quil's imprint, Claire, is five. He's like a big brother to her."

Remus nodded.

"Other than that, you'll meet everyone in the Pack at the bonfire." I looked at my watch, "Which we will be leaving for in 5 minutes, I better go get ready."

Remus laughed at my unpreparedness as I ran up the stairs and grabbed a new change of clothes. The Cullen's would be driving so they could get the non-mythical creatures to the bonfire, but the rest of us would be running.

I went back downstairs and the Cullens loading up into Edward's Volvo and Emmett's Jeep. I met Leah, Seth, Embry, and Remus at the back door. We phased, and I led the way through the woods. We arrived at the beach after fifteen minutes to see that the fire was already burning bright. We phased back just as the Cullens arrived.

We made our way down to the beach, and were greeted with shouts. Everyone ran over to greet us, and we were soon enveloped in hugs and handshakes. After the greetings were done, I took the chance to introduce everyone.

"Well, now that that's over with, time for introductions. These are Harry Potter, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and last but not least, Remus Lupin."

The group seemed surprised to learn that the newest addition to the Pack was a man in his late thirties, but they got over that quickly. As we settled in, Quil and Jared immediately went up to Remus and struck up a conversation with him, asking about what the magical world was like, his history, and et cetera. The other visitors were equally popular with the Pack and the imprints.

Sam pulled me aside as I was going to grab some food, "It's great to see you Jake. How have you been?"

"I've been doing great really. I'm having fun teaching the kids, even though I'm working just as hard as them to keep a lesson plan, and some of the stuff that they can do is absolutely amazing. There was one incident I need to tell you about. I was out showing Remus the ropes when a few Volturi jumped us. We killed Chelsea, the one who controls their loyalties. Apparently, they've made Voldemort, an evil wizard hell-bent on killing all non-magical people and taking over the world, and vampire. We're expecting the Volturi to attack Hogwarts. Soon."

Sam took a minute to process the information. "Well, killing Chelsea will thin their numbers, do you think they'll really go for it if they're so weakened?"

"From what I've heard, Voldemort won't stop at anything, and it sounded like he had taken control, so I don't doubt it for a minute."

"I'll make sure everyone is on high alert and ready to move at a moments notice. So long as you provide a way to get there, I'll lead the Pack there personally."

"Thanks Sam."

I finished filling my plate with food, and sat down near the fire next to Nessie and Hermione, who were deep in conversation, discussing one of Nessie's classes. Paul was talking with Ron and Harry, and Quil and Jared were still talking with Remus. I looked around and saw Collin talking with Ginny and Luna He seemed to be pleading with them. I tried to listen in, and was heard Ginny finally consent. She took out her wand and waved it at a nearby stick, that began floating in the air. I laughed as Collin applauded.

I looked at Leah, who seemed to be the only other person who had seen the display. A message passed silently between us, and we both pulled out our wands. I noticed that Brady was about to stand up, so I covertly pointed the wand at him and mumbled "Locomotor".

Brady's legs snapped together, and he toppled over backwards, causing Paul to point and laugh at him. I looked at Leah, who pointed her wand at Paul. Suddenly, Paul's shirt turned a bright pink. Our antics were not going unnoticed, and soon everyone was laughing at Paul, who was looking at his shirt dumbfounded, and Brady who was still trying to stand up straight.

I noticed Seth point his wand at Jared, whose mouth closed shut mid-sentence. He tried to continue speaking, but was unable too.

Embry got the last laugh in, casting a full body-bind on Sam, before we were found out. Quil noticed the peculiar objects in our hands and lunged for them. Leah, Embry, Seth, and I were too busy laughing to put up much of a fight anyway.

Remus stood up and cast the counter-spells for everything we had done before turning to the four of us. "I'd score that at about a four. Entertaining, but you could have milked it for much longer had you been more subtle."

We laughed for a moment before Quil, who still had our wands in his hand asked, "How did you guys do that?"

"Hermione rigged up something for us that let's us do basic magic. We thought we'd have a bit of fun with it."

"Really?" Quil, as well as everyone else, turned to Hermione, "Can we get one?"

"They take a while to make, and wands aren't exactly easy to get en mass." Hermione explained. "Give me a week or two, and I might have a few more. You need to make sure you keep them completely secret though."

Everyone quickly agreed, and began asking Hermione about the different things that could be done with the wands.

Hermione was quickly overwhelmed, "I'll send you a list of what they can do when I send them to you."

* * *

We kept our jovial mood all evening, swapping funny stories and telling jokes. Remus was the crowd favorite with his stories about the Marauders and their pranks.

"So James and Sirius were hiding behind a tapestry, inches away from McGonagall," Remus said, trying to hold back his laughter, "And she was furious. She had already caught Pettigrew and me, and I think she was honestly considering letting Filch tie us up by our thumbs like he always wanted to. But anyway, she's yelling about how we'll never be allowed in school again, and what do James and Sirius do? They summoned her hat off her head and went sprinting down the corridor. A rather juvenile thing to do, but not bad for third years if I say so myself."

Everyone laughed. "What exactly did you do to get her so mad?" Asked Quil.

"Well," Remus hesitated for effect, "Let's just say that the teacher's lounge, the Slytherin Common Room, and the teacher's offices are not good places to test tripwire Dungbombs."

The campfire exploded into laughter. I laughed along with the group at first, but then I noticed an odd scent. One that I had not smelled in three years. It was a sickly sweet kind of smell, but not coming from the Cullens. It had a certain aged quality to it.

I wasn't the only one to notice, because Seth stopped laughing as well. "Anyone else smell that?" He asked.

"Vampire!" Leah confirmed.

I took action, "Let's go. Sam, Quil, Jared, stay here and protect everyone. Everyone else, with me."

I led the rest of the Pack into the woods, phasing on the fly. Once we were all in wolf form, I started issuing orders.

_'Seth, Embry, go around the left, Leah and Collin, go around the right. Everyone else, come with me, let's try to surround him.'_

I noticed that Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were behind me, _'You guys help the two flanking groups.'_ I thought at Edward, _'If this one is Volturi, let's see if we can't capture him and get some information.'_

Edward nodded and relayed my plans to the others as they sprinted off.

I led my group, sprinting through the woods. It didn't seem as though the vampire was moving very quickly. It was almost as if he wanted to be found. We stopped outside a small clearing in the woods."

_'Hold up.'_ I ordered, _'He's right in here. On three, we all move in. Try to hold him down so we can get information, but no heroics. If you have to, go for the kill.'_

_'One.'_

_'Two.'_

_'Three!'_

We jumped into the clearing, immediately surrounding the vampire, who was sitting on a fallen tree. He put up no resistance upon noticing us. I looked at him, and it took me a few seconds to decide whether my eyes were telling me the truth or not.

_'Marcus?'_ I thought.

_'What's he doing here?' Seth exclaimed._

_'No clue, but let's find out. I'm phasing.'_

I phased just as the Cullens caught up. They seemed just as shocked as we had been.

"Marcus. What are you doing here?" Emmett asked angrily.

"I'm here," Marcus responded in a voice so empty, he might as well have been dead, "To warn you. A war is coming. And it will be worse than any the world has ever seen before.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry that it has taken so long to update, but I've been very busy, and for some reason, this chapter was very difficult to write. I'm hoping to speed things up a bit, because the story is nearing its end, and I want to finish it before I move on to other ideas.

Which leads me to the question: Would you rather my next project be another crossover between Twilight and Harry Potter, or a story just about Harry Potter? Both would take place in the Marauders era.


	19. Preparations

Chapter 19: Preparations

**Jacob's Point of View**

"_Marcus. What are you doing here?" Emmett asked angrily._

"_I'm here," Marcus responded in a voice so empty, he might as well have been dead, "To warn you. A war is coming. And it will be worse than any the world has ever seen before._

We were somewhat surprised by Marcus' plain statement, but Emmett continued to press for information. "What do you mean?" He demanded. "Explain. Now."

Marcus took a deep breath, "I will assume you are all familiar with Voldemort?" We nodded, and he continued, "He has seized power in Volterra. The Volturi as the heads of the vampire world are no more. He plans to use what is left of the guard, along with his own forces to begin his conquest of the magical world."

"How did this happen?" I asked.

"Voldemort has a very powerful ability. He can force his will upon any single person that he wants. He can only use it to affect one person at a time, but its effects are un-fightable. Voldemort is controlling Aro, and Caius is too blinded by a want for revenge to notice what he is doing. Before Chelsea was killed, he had been using her to retain the loyalty of the guard, but now that she is dead, he has only been able to keep those that were truly loyal to Aro."

"And why should we trust you at all? How do we know that Voldemort didn't just send you as a decoy?" Edward asked him.

"You can trust me," Marcus explained, "Because Aro murdered my wife."

We were quickly silenced by this revelation. After giving us a moment to take it in, Marcus told his story.

"Centuries ago, Aro, Caius, and I were fairly young vampires. We had our plans and we were beginning to execute them. Aro, ever wanting to increase his power, decided that he would turn his sister, hoping that she would possess a gift as powerful as his. She did.

"Didyme's gifts was like an aura of happiness that radiated out from her and into anybody nearby. With her around, it was impossible for anyone to feel unhappy or angry. We fell in love, and I began to become wholly unconcerned with Aro's plans to dominate the world.

"After a few hundred years, Didyme and I began discussing leaving the Volturi. Aro gave his blessing to the idea, but his approval was a deception. He was hellbent on keeping the Volturi intact. He killed my wife, his own sister, in order to keep me with them. He tried to ensure that I did not find out that he was responsible, and when I did, he had Chelsea make sure that I remained loyal to the Volturi cause. Now that Chelsea is dead, I feel no such loyalty.

"In short," Marcus summarized, "You can trust me, because I want to kill that bastard, and helping you is the best way to accomplish that goal."

We were all stunned. Marcus waited while we processed the information he had just given us. Edward was the first to speak. "Alright. You can come back to our house, and tell us everything you know there."

"Thank you." Marcus said, "Caius and Aro deserve to die for what they did."

We all phased, and formed in a ring around Marcus as we escorted him back to the Cullen's home. I saw Edward take out a cell phone to call ahead and explain what had happened.

"We got him. It's Marcus. We're bringing him back to the house. He has some things he wants to tell us."

We proceeded to the Cullen's house in silence, not breaking formation until we had walked Marcus up to the back door. From there, we let Emmett, Jasper, and Edward escort him into the house, while we phased.

As we walked into the house, I saw Marcus sitting on the Cullen's couch, surrounded by by Jared, Sam, Quil, and everyone else. After the rest of the Pack had filed in, Carlisle nodded, and began questioning Marcus.

"Okay Marcus, explain to us what is going on."

Marcus looked up, and spoke, "Not long ago. Five or six months at most, we received a strange visitor in Volterra. What surprised us was not only that he sought an audience with us, but that he was human. Aro and Caius, wanting to protect our secrecy, invited him into the castle, and ordered the Guard to kill him.

"The Guard failed. Our visitor, a mere human, fended them off. Aro was intrigued by his great power, and, wanting to exploit it, allowed him an audience. The man told us that his name was Voldemort, and that he had come to offer a deal. He told us that people of the magical world were aware of the existence of vampires, though not the Volturi specifically, and that they wanted to eradicate us.

"He offered to help us to control the magical population, and to prevent them from discovering us, as well as further any other plans that we had. In return, we had to turn him. Aro immediately agreed, wanting to us Voldemort's power to further his own, and Caius followed, hoping that helping Voldemort would enable him to destroy you all.

"I warned both of them that we would be better off destroying him, because he was quite powerful, and that he would be too difficult to control, but my words were ignored.

"Aro turned Voldemort the next day. Once the process was complete, Aro began explaining his plans to Voldemort. Voldemort offered small suggestions, and Aro took them and incorporated them into his plans. All seemed relatively normal for the next month, but slowly, Aro's ideas were becoming more heavily influenced by Voldemort until Voldemort was the one making the plans.

"It was then that I began to realize what was happening, and that Aro had come completely under Voldemort's control, but Chelsea's power forced me to remain loyal. Then, Chelsea died, and I fled here, to warn you.

"The Guard's numbers were greatly reduced by Chelsea's death, but they are still strong. The only way to stop Voldemort from beginning an all out war between vampires and the rest of the world is to kill him, and destroy the Volturi."

Harry stood up. "We need to tell Dumbledore about this as soon as we can."

"I agree." Carlisle said, "But we need to figure out what to do with Marcus before we take any action."

"I think we should bring Marcus back to England with us." Edward announced, "I cannot read any signs of untruthfulness from him, and from what we know of Voldemort, this certainly seems in character for him."

Harry nodded in affirmation. "Voldemort will do anything he can to gain immortality, and it seems that we need any advantage that we can get. Marcus will be able to give us insight on Voldemort's plans."

I turned to Marcus, "Is there anything else we should know? Do you have any idea at all of what Voldemort is planning?"

Marcus looked up, "The day before I fled, I heard a few of the remaining members of the guard talking about an attack. I believe that Voldemort plans to attack Hogwarts by the end of January."

Upon hearing this, Remus sprang to action. "I'll go ahead and warn Dumbledore. Come as soon as you can so we can tell him the full story."

I nodded at Remus in approval as he grabbed some floo powder from a pot next to the fireplace and returned to Hogwarts.

I looked at the Pack, "I want the you all ready for action. Those with imprints can stay behind, but ready to get to Hogwarts as soon as we need you. Everyone else. You're coming back with us."

~*Y~*~Y~*~Y~*~Y~*

We made the preparations as quickly as possible. Sam alerted the Tribe Elders that we were shipping out while the rest of us gathered anything we would need. Once we had everything ready, the Cullens flooed to the Gryffindor common room. Jasper came back and told us that it was clear, and we sent Marcus through. After Marcus had flooed over, I followed.

When I arrived I saw that Dumbledore and McGonagall were in the common room as well. We stood, waiting for the rest of the Pack to arrive. Once they had, Dumbledore spoke.

"Remus has already explained the basics of the situation to us, but I would like to hear them from the source."

Marcus stepped forward, and told Dumbledore and McGonagall his story. Once he had, Dumbledore sat in silence, contemplating. After what seemed like a millennium of silence, he looked up and voiced his thoughts.

"It seems my worst fears have come to pass. Minevra, alert the other teachers that we must strengthen the wards and prepare the Room of Requirement to serve as our base of operations and an emergency escape path. Also, gather any members of the Order that are available and have them move into the Room. We don't know when Voldemort will strike, so we must be ready."

McGonagall nodded and left. Dumbledore turned to Harry and continued, "Harry, I know that this is difficult for you, but I would like to request that you hold meetings of the DA every evening once the rest of the student body returns. Any extra practice will be invaluable when we are so short on time to prepare."

"Of course Professor. Anything that will help us defeat Voldemort, and prevent him from hurting anyone is worth doing, no matter how difficult." Harry responded.

Dumbledore turned to me next, "I assume that your Pack is trained for fighting?" At my nod, he continued, "You all may move into the Room of Requirement. I will ensure that there is enough room."

"We'll patrol the outskirts of the grounds as well, to see if we can provide any early warning when Voldemort does come." I told him.

"Thank you very much Jacob. Now I must go and alert the Ministry. With any luck, we will have support from them tomorrow. I assume that you can find your way to the Room of Requirement?"

When we confirmed this, Dumbledore said, "Good. Go there. I would ask that you try to limit the time that you spend outside of the Room of Requirement or your Common Room, and do not be alone in the halls. Voldemort will not be able to breach the wards unnoticed, but some of his followers may be able to enter stealthily."

With that, he apparated away. We exited through the portrait hole and walked to the Room of Requirement. Professor Flitwick was standing outside.

As we approached, he looked up, "Go right in. Minevra said to expect some extra arrivals. The living area is in the far right corner."

We thanked him and walked through the large doors. Inside, the Room of Requirement looked like it never had before. Just next to the door was a small medical clinic, including cots, commonly used medical potions, and even some Muggle technology.

Just beyond the clinic was a large table with a map of the Hogwarts grounds and the outlying area on it. I assumed that area was going to be used for planning the defense of the Castle.

To the left was a slightly smaller version of the room that we had used for DA meetings. It was fully stocked with pads, training dummies and anything else we would need.

We followed Flitwick's directions, walking past the clinic and training rooms. We came upon an enlarged version of the common room, with each corner decorated in a different House's colors. In each corner there was also a large picture of that House's mascot. As we walked past the picture of the Gryffindor Lion, the picture swung open revealing a short passageway. I looked through it and saw that it lead back to the common room.

The centerpiece of the room was a large painting of the Hogwarts crest in the center of the wall. I guessed that there was a tunnel behind that portrait that was probably intended to be used to escape in an emergency. Near the painting there were a set of stairs that I assumed led to sleeping quarters for the people who weren't students that were staying here.

We settled down on the couches in the Gryffindor corner of the room, but remained silent, processing the events of the night. The silence was broken by a yawn from Ginny.

"I agree with Ginny. Tonight has been exciting, but we need sleep." Luna said. Everyone gave her an odd look, but she continued anyway. "We can start getting ready tomorrow, but for now I'm heading to bed."

I looked at my watch, and saw that it was past midnight. Even though that put it at early morning in England, I realized how tired I was.

A few people murmured drowsily in assent and rose to go to bed. The Pack went to the stairs in the room and everyone else began walking towards the portrait of the Lion. Luna began walking to the picture of the Ravenclaw Raven, but Ginny called out to her.

"Luna, come over here. No one else is around and there's no point in splitting up. Besides, a little more House unity can't hurt."

Luna smiled and nodded and followed Ginny through the portrait hole. I hugged Nessie goodbye and watched her leave as well. After everyone had left, I followed my Pack down the stairs and found that the first door had the words "Jacob Black and Seth Clearwater" written on it. I opened the door and saw Seth already asleep on one bed. I went to lay down on my bed, and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm writing again. Hopefully I'll update more often now that Summer has come. I have how the story will finish planned out, so all that's left is actually writing it.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and I respond to each one that I get.


	20. Training and Announcements

Chapter 20: Training and Announcements

**Bella's Point of View**

The next few days went by in a flurry. Jake spent most of his time organizing the Pack and making sure that their patrols covered as much area as possible. Jasper and Marcus were working with the members of the Order that had shown up, Jasper using his military training to help with strategy and Marcus using his inisde knowledge. The teachers were all busy with setting up the school for the attack and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were busy preparing practice sessions for the DA once the rest of the student body returned. This left the rest of us time to practice fighting with magic.

We were in the Room of Requirement in section of the room dedicated to training. I was currently dueling with Emmett. Alice and Rosalie were dueling a bit away from us. Edward was watching Emmett and I while Nessie watch Rose and Alice.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled, pointing my wand at Emmett. His wand flew out of his hand and towards me. I caught it before tossing it back.

Emmett seemed disappointed for a moment, but perked back up. "Let's go again. I need more practice."

"Okay." I took a few steps back, and waited for him to initiate the duel.

Emmett paused for a moment before striking in quick succession. "Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Reducto!"

I heard Edward's angry reaction at Emmett's last spell, but I shrugged it off, and dodged all three. I counter attacked with a stunning spell that just missed Emmett's shoulder. Emmett sent a few body-bind hexes and another disarming spell at me, but I dodged those as well.

After a few minutes of this, Emmett took aim and launched a series of disarming spells at me. With nowhere to dodge to, I summoned a shield.

"Protego!" I yelled, and a large, translucent shield surrounded me, deflecting the spells.

Suddenly, I remembered the Defense Against the Dark Arts class that we had been practicing shield charms in. I pointed my wand at Emmett, and he looked at me, confused.

"Expelliarmus." I said, and the spell shot out of my wand, through my shield, and hit Emmett, causing his wand to fly away once again.

"How did you do that? You aren't supposed to be able to send spells through shields." Emmett said.

Edward immediately walked over. "Bella, you remember that Defense Against the Dark Arts class, correct?"

I nodded, and Edward continued, "This may be incredibly useful."

He looked around and noticed Harry walking past with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Harry! Can you come over here for a moment?"

Harry and his friends came over, "What do you need Edward?" He asked.

"Bella may be able to provide us with a great asset in the coming fight." Edward explained, "Bella, make another shield, and let Harry inside your mental barrier."

I nodded and did so.

"Okay. Harry, try to cast a spell through the shield." Edward instructed.

Harry looked a bit confused, but nodded. "Flipendo." He said, pointing his wand at Emmett.

The spell left Harry's wand, traveled through the shield, and hit Emmett square in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

"Why do you guys have to pick on me?" Emmett asked grumpily while standing up.

Edward ignored him, "Emmett, try to cast a spell through the shield. Bella, make sure that you are blocking Emmett off."

Emmett sent a stunning spell towards Harry, but it hit the shield and dissipated harmlessly.

"That's wicked." Ron said, "With you on our side, Voldemort won't stand a chance."

"Bella, how big can you make the shield?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure." I told him, "I've never worried about how big it was. Let me try."

I took a moment to collect myself before I raised my wand and yelled "Protego!" A shield big enough to block about half of a classroom appeared. I tried to keep it in place, but after about ten seconds I was so drained of energy that the shield disappeared.

Harry looked at me. "Bella, you need to practice making the shield bigger and last longer. This could save who knows how many lives."

I nodded, "I'll do my best."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny left to go speak with Professor Dumbledore, and I continued practicing conjuring larger, and longer lasting shields, while Emmett and Edward tested how spells reacted to traveling through the them.

After some testing, we found that my shield would repel any spell, helpful or harmful, from someone that I was blocking out mentally, but that it would allow the spells of people I had within my barrier to pass unimpeded.

I spent hours practicing while the others continued dueling, and began to incorporate traditional vampire fighting into their duels. Alice and Emmett excelled, Alice because she was small and light enough on her feet to dodge spells while closing in to attack, and Emmett because he was able to barrel through any resistance he met.

Eventually, we decided to call it a night, knowing that we would have very few chances to relax once classes started up once more. We walked through the portrait into the Gryffindor common room, and saw Harry and Ginny sitting off in a corner, talking quietly. Not wanting to bother them, I motioned to the others to turn around, and we went back to the Room of Requirement's large common area.

A few minutes later, Esme, Carlisle and Dumbledore walked in.

"Ah good. You're all already here. Esme and I were discussing something with Professor Dumbledore that you all should have a say in. Given the circumstances of the coming attack, mainly the involvement of the Volturi, I believe that it would wise to reveal ourselves to the school once the students return."

"Why do you think that now is a good time?" Edward asked.

"The students will need to know that Voldemort has become a vampire, and is working with the Volturi. Obviously, vampires aiding Voldemort will not paint us in a good light. There will inevitably be anger at vampires from the magical population after the news gets around. If we reveal ourselves now, we can prove that not all vampires are like the Volturi, and hopefully mitigate some of the anger at our kind as a whole."

Dumbledore nodded, "I feel that the majority of the student body will be at least somewhat receptive to the idea. You have spent four months in the school with no incidents related to your vampirism, and have earned the friendship and trust of Harry Potter, who many in the school see a paragon of good. Those two factors will likely cause the backlash to be greatly reduced."

Once Dumbledore finished, we all thought for a moment. Jasper was the first to speak. "Revealing ourselves now does make the most sense. It will also let us prepare the students for what they may be facing since we will not need to hide our abilities."

Edward agreed, "If half of the students accept us as well as Harry and his friends did, the position we will be in will be far better than if we do not reveal ourselves."

Rosalie nodded, and Emmett followed suit.

"Even if the students don't take the news well, the benefits will outweigh the costs. It may make our lives here difficult, but if it helps to prepare everyone, then we can't not do it." I said. Nessie nodded in agreement.

We looked to Alice, "I don't see any drastic ramifications from doing this, though things are a bit fuzzy. I say we do it."

Dumbledore nodded, "Very well, I will allow Carlisle to make the announcement after I explain the situation with Voldemort to the school. I will go ask Jacob if he would like to announce the presence of his Pack as well."

Dumbledore walked off, and Carlisle and Esme joined us in chatting for a little while. A little past midnight, we decided to retire to our rooms and to continue training the next day.

~*Y*~*Y*~*Y*~*Y*~

The days passed quickly, and soon, the student body had returned from the Christmas vacation. Though the Ministry had not announced the news of Voldemort's impending attack, there were rumors circulating among the students that something important had happened over the break. Hogwarts' renowned rumor mills had stories ranging from Dumbledore's retirement to the return of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It was not until the Return Feast that the students learned of what had occurred during the holiday.

After the meal had ended, Dumbledore stood and raised his hands to quiet the students. "Now, I am aware that many of you have heard rumors that something of great importance occurred while you were on holiday. This is true. A few days ago, we received word that Voldemort has successfully turned himself into a vampire in his search for immortality."

I heard a number of shocked gasps from all around the Great Hall, and students began whispering to one another. Dumbledore waited for the commotion to die down before continuing, "Further, we have received word that Voldemort plans to attack within the next month. His target will be Hogwarts."

The reaction to this news was much worse. I heard multiple cries of fear, and many people began demanding how the Ministry could withhold this information until after they returned to Hogwarts. I even heard a few of the older students from other Houses, mainly Slytherin,speaking of leaving the school.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore roared. "There is no need to fear. Hogwarts remains as safe as ever. The wards have been strengthened and precautions have been taken to ensure that should the attack come without notice, that all students wishing to leave will be able to escape. There is a room on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. In that room is the headquarters for planning the battle, as well as a common room for all four Houses, and an escape tunnel that leads to Gringotts Bank. There are also entrances to that room in each House's common room.

"Of course, due to the situation, some changes will be made. First, all elective classes, with the exception of Muggle Studies will no longer be meeting. Instead, students will be attending additional Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Second, a strict curfew will be in place. Once classes have finished, students are to report immediately to their common rooms or the joint common room, and not to leave until a teacher arrives to escort them to dinner. Because there will be no access to the library due to this, teachers are instructed not to assign homework other than practicing spells.

"When the attack does occur, all students who have not reached the age of seventeen as well as students who are of the age of majority and wish to leave are to report to the joint common room, where a teacher will acompany you to Gringotts Bank."

"And what if we want to stay and fight?" I heard a voice from down the table yell. I looked over and recognized Seamus Finningan as the source of the voice.

"All of students of the age of majority that wish to defend the Castle should meet in the Great Hall." Dumbledore replied.

The Headmaster paused for a few moments before continuing his speech. "While, undoubtedly, that was more than enough news for one night, there are a few more announcements that must be made."

Dumbledore sat down and Professor Lupin stood up. He and Jake had decided that it would be best if he gave the news about the Pack, seeing as it was already known that he was a werewolf, and most of the students trusted him in spite of that.

"It is no secret to you all that I am a werewolf." He began "However, the circumstances of my lycanthropy have changed, thanks in large part to the work of Professors Cullen, Snape, and Black. Together, with a great deal of work, they were able to devise a cure for my lycanthropy, so I am now able to use my wolf form much like an Animagus."

There were murmurs of shock, but Lupin continued. "This was possible due to the fact that Professor Black is a werewolf himself." The murmurs grew louder, "But unlike werewolves as we think of them, Professor Black and the rest of his Pack was always able to change form at will. Professors Cullen and Snape researched the differences between he and I, and devised a potion that allow me to change much like they do. I use the plural, because Professor Black's Pack of werewolves has come to Hogwarts to assist in its defense."

The doors to the Great Hall opened and the Pack processed in. The students were stunned into silence for a short moment before the room exploded in whispers. The majority that I heard were shock that lycanthropy could be cured, and at the wolves' physical appearances.

Dumbledore stood back up, "It is very selfless of Professor Black's friends to leave their home to come help us. I am sure that you will give them a proper welcome and treat them as our honored guests. Now, there is one more announcement to be made. But, before Carlisle speaks, know that he and his family have always, and still do have my complete trust."

Carlisle cleared his throat, "I regret that I must admit that my family has been lying to you all for the past four months. At the time, it was a necessary evil, both to protect you, and to ensure that we had enough time to gain your trust. We understand if we have lost that trust, but now, I would like to reveal the truth. My family are vampires."

The Great Hall went into an uproar. The Slytherin table seemed the least angry, but the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors were incensed. I heard cries of "How could they be allowed in the school?" Among other angry responses. I was preparing myself for violence when a deafening loud crack rang out through the room. I turned towards its source and saw Dumbledore, standing and holding his wand straight up in the air.

Dumbledore's anger showed as he spoke, "I knew of the Cullen's condition before I invited them here, and I have never doubted any of them. I advise you to listen to their story before condemning them."

The students quieted and Carlisle nodded at Dumbledore in thanks, "When I was turned, I hated myself for what I had become. I refused to feed, and eventually grew so weak that I was unable to control myself, and attacked the closest living thing. That happened to be a deer. I then realized that I would be able to sustain myself solely on the blood of animals, much like a human who eats meat.

"My family began to grow when I met Edward. He was dying of the Spanish influenza. With her dying breath, his mother begged for me to save him with any means possible. I saved him by turning him into a vampire. He accepted my way of life, feeding on only animals. Since, our family has grown as we have saved people whose lives were in danger by turning them. We have lived among humans for years, and continue to feed only off of animal blood.

"We decided that now was the time to reveal our nature because of Voldemort's quest for immortality. Because he has become a vampire, we can help to prepare you for what will come when he and the Volturi attack the Castle. It is understandable if you do not trust us, but please, allow us to help you prepare yourselves." Carlisle finished, imploring the students.

The room was silent as the students mulled over Carlisle's speech. After a few minutes had passed, Dumbledore stood. "I am sure that this much information will take a while to digest. Your Heads of House as well as Professor Black's Pack will now escort you to the Room of Requirement and explain your living arrangements for the foreseeable future. Sleep well."

We stood and followed as Professors McGonagall and Snape led us to the Room of Requirement. Edward and I were near the back of the line, walking next to Seth an Leah.

"I'm glad that they didn't seem to mind us too much." Seth commented. "I'm sure once they get used to the idea, they'll treat you guys like they always have."

"I'm not so sure about that," Edward replied, "The thoughts I heard were very hostile. For a moment, I was afraid that a few of the students were about to attack."

"They're probably just like Leah here," Seth elbowed his sister, "She used to hate you guys and now she almost tolerates you."

Leah's face became one of mock disgust, "I sort of have to, otherwise the almighty Alpha would have my ass for beating up his girlfriend and her parents."

I faintly heard Jake yell "I heard that!" from ahead, and we all laughed.

"Perhaps you're right." Edward agreed with Seth. "Leah was rather vehement with her distaste for us but now she is somewhat amicable. Maybe you're going soft with age?" He mused.

"I've tried to be nice and this is your response? What is it, Beat up on Leah day?"

"Of course, not." Seth told her, "I've had that penciled in as the first Thursday of every month since I was five."

Our banter carried us to the door of the Room of Requirement. We entered to find Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Luna surrounded by a mass of other students. Mostly the older ones, and those in the DA.

"Edward saved my life." Harry said, "If the Cullens weren't here, I'd be dead. If they were working for Voldemort, I wouldn't be here."

"Well, how do we know that we can trust who you trust?" A Ravenclaw yelled, "You trust Loony there, and everyone knows that she's too out of it to do anything right."

I felt Seth's fists clench next to me. I put my hand of his shoulder to calm him down.

"If that's what you think, fat lot you know." Harry responded, "I'd trust Luna with my life, just like I'd trust it with Hermione, or the Weasleys, or any of my other friends, the Cullens included. If you're not even willing to be civil to my friends, I guess I know whose side you're on."

The Ravenclaw seemed about to respond when a younger Gryffindor stepped into the circle and stood next to Harry. "Guys, why are we doing this? Voldemort is massing an army, and we're standing here fighting amongst ourselves. This is exactly what he wants, and we can't help him by arguing with each other.

"The old saying is 'a house divided cannot stand,' and it's true. Now more than ever, we need to be promoting inter-house unity. Why do you think they set up a common room here for all the Houses? I'm willing to take one step further, because I see no reason that we shouldn't let other people into our House common rooms just because they aren't in our House.

"Given the situation, I don't see why we shouldn't have Gryffindors in the dungeons with the Slytherins or Ravenclaws in the Gryffindor tower or Slytherins in the Hufflepuff common room. In fact, I think that would be a great situation. United, we are powerful, but divided, Voldemort will destroy us."

Everyone was silent until one voice said, "I agree with Colin. We need to work together."

This seemed to get the crowd thinking, and soon, the majority seemed to be on Harry's side. There were a few dissidents, but they walked quietly off to their common rooms. As the crowd dispersed, we walked over to the group.

"That was brilliant Colin." Harry said, as Colin beamed.

"It just doesn't make sense to fight when it will just make us weaker when Voldemort comes."

"I'm glad that they agreed with you." Luna said, "I think it would be best if there weren't any Houses at all, just one big school."

Harry turned as he noticed our arrival, "A few of the others seem to be follow Ron and my lead from when we first found out." He said.

"Yes, that was to be expected. At least Colin here got a few of them to see reason." I said.

"I like the idea of blurring the lines between Houses. It will definitely promote unity." Edward said, "Luna, perhaps if you joined us when we went back to the Gryffindor common room, it would break the ice?"

"Let's go then." Luna said simply.

We turned and walked to the Gryffindor common room. A few people gave Luna odd looks as she entered, but no one challenged her presence. After about an hour, more people trickled in, including a Ravenclaw, and two Hufflepuffs with their friends. No Slytherins showed up, but that was unsurprising.

"It looks like your plan worked." Ron told Edward.

"Yes it does. Hopefully the mingling will increase over the next few days."

Ron's response was preempted by a yawn. Once he had finished, he said, "Well, mingling or no, I'm bushed. What do you say we hit the sack?"

The others agreed, and we bade Luna goodnight as she returned to the Ravenclaw dorms.

We went to our dorms and I laid on my bed as everyone else slept, thinking about the battle that was about to come.


	21. Duels and Visions

Chapter 21: Duels and Visions

**Bella's Point of View**

A few days had passed since we had revealed ourselves to the school, and the majority of students continued avoiding us. It seemed like most agreed with Harry that we weren't there as agents of Voldemort, but that still didn't ease the fear of them knowing that they were in the same room as a group of vampires. This led to us spending most of our time out of class in the training room, preparing.

Edward, Nessie, and I were in the Room of Requirement practicing with the rest of our family and the Pack. We had spent most of the day working on integrating normal vampire fighting with our magical abilities, since we had no idea what could come in handy when Voldemort showed up.

Harry had asked us to meet him in the training area an hour before the DA meeting that was scheduled, so we were not surprised when he walked into the room in the middle of a practice duel between Edward and Alice.

The duel had been going on for a little while now and everyone had gathered around to take a break and watch. Harry joined the group just as Edward sent four stunners at Alice in quick succession. She deflected three of them and just barely dodged the fourth before sending a disarming spell, a stunning spell, and a body bind curse at Edward. Edward jumped into the air to avoid the spells and allowed his momentum to carry him towards Alice. She rolled out of the way, and as Edward passed the spot where she had been, jumped on his back and put her teeth to Edward's neck.

"I win." Alice announced triumphantly as she hopped off Edward's back.

Harry cleared his throat before greeting us, "Hi everyone. I see you've been keeping busy."

"Hey Harry." Alice said as she and Edward walked over to join us. "What's up?"

Harry went straight to the point, "As you know there's a DA meeting in about an hour. I asked you all to be here early so I could ask if you would be willing to show everyone how vampires fight. We don't know what Voldemort will be bringing with him when he attacks, but from what Marcus said, it sounds like there will most definitely be some vampires with him and I want everyone prepared."

"Excellent. I've been wnating to show these kids what I can do." Emmett said.

"Don't get too carried away. We're already on shaky ground with most of the students. We don't want to scare them any further." Edward wanred Emmett before turning back to Harry. "We would be glad to help. Are you going to want us just to do an exhibtion so they know what they will see, or would you like us to actually duel with the students so they can get accustomed to fighting vampires?"

"Actually, I was planning on just having you show them what you're capable of, but if you want to actually duel them, that would be even better."

"I think that since we do not know when the attack is coming, we need to prepare as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that is to train as rigorously as possible. Actually dueling with the others will be much more beneficial than just having them watch us." Jasper said.

"Do you want me to do anything?" Nessie asked.

"No, thank you Renesmee. Its strange enough that they will be dueling vampires. I don't think that there's any need to add even more confusion."

Nessie seemed relieved by Harry's response, and nodded.

"Harry, if you'd like, the Pack and I can help teach everyone how to fight werewolves." Jake offered. "Like you said, its better to be safe than sorry. And besides, a bit of training thats different from the norm may help somehow."

"Good idea Jake. Thanks."

"Not a problem. I'll go get Remus. He's better at teaching than I am anyway." Jake said before running out the door.

"Now that thats all settled, would one of you mind dueling me? Merlin knows I need the practice. Plus, I'm not sure how trusting of you everyone will be, so maybe they'll take it better if they know that I've already duelled you."

Guessing that Edward wouldn't be thrilled about me dueling a student who may or may not care for my saftey, despite the fact that I was nearly indestructible, I immediately volunteered. "I'll duel you Harry."

"Okay. I want to try without you using a wand for the first time, if you don't mind." Harry said.

"Sure thing." I said, lightly tossing my wand to Edward as I went to stand across from Harry.

After making sure that I was ready, Harry wasted on time in going on the offensive. I used my heightened speed to easily dodge the spells he sent at me before I began to close the space between us. I was able to half the distance between Harry and I while still dodging his spells, before he got a new idea. As I went to move forward, he conjured a shield in front of me. I attempted to go around it, but he continued to conjure shields wherever I went to move.

I was still able to advance towards Harry, but his shields greatly lowered the speed of my approach. When I was about three feet away from him, Harry conjured a shield that surrounded him completely. Knowing that he would be unable to hold the shield indefinitely, I stood just outside of it, waiting for the shield to drop. After a few minutes, it did, and I was able to jump at Harry before he was able to react. I brought my mouth to his neck before quickly getting off of him and allowing him to stand up.

"That was definitely different from what I'm used to. It's going to be hard to figure out how to effectively fight one of you guys."

"Maybe you could try to surround your opponent with shields and then try to hit them with a spell?" Jasper suggested. "If you could do that, it would offset our speed advantage."

"It will take work to be able to maintain a shield while casting other spells, but that would be a good strategy." Harry agreed. "I'll talk to Remus when he arrives to see if he can give me advice."

We took a short break. While we were waiting, Jake returned with Remus, and soon, the rest of the DA arrived as well. Once everyone had shown up, Harry stood up to begin the meeting.

"Hello everyone. Today, I have something a bit different from normal planned. We know that Voldemort has become a vampire, and it is likely that he will have more with him when he attacks. The Cullens have offered to duel with you, without using magic, so you can get a feel for fighting against vampires. Professor Black and his Pack have also offered to duel, just to provide something different from the usual."

"Wait." A Hufflepuff who I didn't recognize said. "You expect us to trust them to fight us, but not to actually follow through and bite us?"

"I duelled with Bella just ten minutes ago. She beat me, but you don't see any bite marks on me. Do you?" Harry responded. "No one is forcing you to duel with them, but we know that Voldemort will be coming with vampires. I trust the Cullens completely, and they are offering to help you prepare for what is coming. It's your choice whether to take it or leave it."

The Hufflepuff seemed conflicted for a moment, but stayed where he was.

"Alright then. Everyone pair up with one of the Cullens, or a member of Jacob's Pack." Harry instructed. "They won't have wands, but they will have a massive speed advantage, so you will need to alter your techniques to compensate for that."

I looked over and saw the Pack phase. Turning back, I saw a short, sixth year Ravenclaw standing in front of me.

Before I had a chance to say anything to him, Harry spoke, "Make sure you have enough room around you so you don't collide with anyone else. Start your duels in. Three. Two. One. Go!"

I stood my ground, allowing him to make the first move. I easily dodged the first spell he sent at me, and I began to advance towards him. He began shooting spells faster, but I continued to dodge them until I was standing directly in front of the student. I jumped over him to dodge his last spell and grabbed his shoulders. However, the moment I did, he pointed his wand over his shoulder and hit with a spell that sent me flying backwards.

I began dodging his spells and moving towards him once agin, but he had realized that his original strategy was not going to work. Instead, he began trying to distract me. In addition to launching spells at me, he attempted to blind me by lighting his wand. At one point, he came close to hitting me with a stunning spell, but it whizzed past my shoulder, missing by an inch.

After another few minutes of slowly closing the gap between us, I faked a jump over him before lunging at him and tackling him to the ground. I put my mouth to his neck to show that I had won the duel before helping him to stand back up.

He was breathing heavily as he stood up. "That was difficult. You're way to fast to hit."

"You did well." I reassured him. "I wasn't expecting you to knock me off the first time I grabbed you, and its hard to surprise a vampire."

He laughed, still trying to regain his breath. "I can sort of see why everyone is so scared of you guys. I was pretty freaked out when you grabbed me."

"You might not believe me, but I know the feeling." I told him. "I was attacked a few years before I was turned. But the guy who attacked me wasn't like me or the rest of the Cullens."

Curiosity seemed to have taken him, because he continued to ask questions, "But isn't it difficult? I thought vampires had to feed on people a lot."

"I've never fed on a human, so I have nothing to compare the taste of animal blood to. Plus, we hunt often, more often than we probably need to, just to make sure that we don't feel any temptation."

"But when do you find the time? You must not hunt in the same place all the time, or else animals would stop going there."

"We do travel around to a number of different places. We go at night, because we don't need sleep."

"Wow. If you don't sleep, you must have a lot of free time."

"We do. But we find uses for it. This year, we've spent most of our nights practicing magic."

"Do you want to duel again? I need more practice." He asked.

I nodded and got myself into position to begin the duel. Although he changed up his strategy a bit, I was still able to win the duel after about ten turned out to be good timing, because Harry called for everyone to stop duelling a few minutes after we had finished.

"Okay everyone, I think that that's enough for tonight. Next meeting, we'll go back to more conventional practice, but its always good to prepare for the unexpected."

Everyone filed out, heading towards the joint common room, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Pack in the room with us.

"Thanks guys." Harry said once everyone had left, "Hopefully that will help them if they wind up facing one of Voldemort's vampires."

"it was no problem at all Harry." Edward assured him, "From their thoughts, it seems that duelling with us gave most of them a bit more trust that we aren't Voldemort's spies or dark creatures of some sort."

"That's good. Anyway, during the meeting, I had an idea. You said that fire is one of the things that can kill a vampire. During a fight, you could try to trap a vampire, and light them on fire. Even if they dodge it, if its an enclosed space, the fire will probably spread on to them."

"That's a good idea Harry." Jasper said. "If you can get people to help by conjuring some sort of flammable liquid near the target, that would be incredibly effective."

"I'm sure that we could help corner the vampire before you light them." Jake said. "It'd be easier than ripping them up, albeit less satisfying."

We began to walk towards the common room while continuing to discuss strategy. Once we arrived the in the Common Room and met up with Ginny, Neville, and Luna we moved on to discussing less grim topics, trading stories from years past.

After what seemed like no time, Hermione looked over at the clock and said, "Its time for us to be getting to bed."

Edward and I bade goodnight to everyone as they headed to their dorms. Rosalie and Emmett had disappeared hours ago, so the only people left in the room were Edward, Alice, Jasper and I.

We sat in silence for a few moments before Edward asked, "Jasper, you have the most experience in these situations. What kind of odds do you think Harry has against Voldemort?"

"In all honesty. Slim to none." Jasper responded. "Just from being a newborn vampire, I'd expect Voldemort to overpower Harry easily. From what we've heard, Voldemort is also a powerful wizard, likely as strong, or stronger than Harry."

We sat in a grim silence.

"Do you think if Harry was a vampire?" I began.

"Carlisle would never agree to it, and neither would I. And even if Harry did think that was a good idea, we don't know when Voldemort is coming. If the transformation isn't done and Voldemort comes, we are all dead."

We were engulfed by silence once more, saying nother for nearly fifteen minutes. Suddenly, Alice went rigid in her seat.

"What is it?" I asked her.

The look on her face told me what she hadn't said yet. "Voldemort has decided when he's going to attack. He'll be here in four days."

**A/N** I decided to start on my next story, because I really wanted to write, but couldn't for some reason get myself working on this story. Hopefully this chapter's quality didn't suffer as a result.

It's a James/Lily Harry Potter story. The first chapter or two may not seem like it, but I think I have a pretty unique twist to the normal story, so check it out from my profile if you want to.

As always, reviews are appreciated (on both stories) and if you leave an -email address, I will respond to it.


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